Mended
by Just Another Angry Feminist
Summary: Ari has trust issues and Audrey has secrets. Can Ari learn to trust someone with her heart? Can Audrey learn to let someone in after everything that has happened to her?
1. Chapter 1

**Hi. I'm in love with Bex Taylor-Klaus so this story happened.**

 **I hope you like it.**

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The last thing I wanted to do was move to a place where a serial killing just happened, but it seemed like my mom had other ideas. Thankfully, we were moving in the summer so it wouldn't disrupt my schedule very much. I would still be a senior when the school year started.

My parents filed for divorce in April and it was finalized by the middle of May. She'd came from old money but left that life for my dad. Now that they weren't together anymore, she had access to all that money again and was taking advantage of it. We had a really nice two story house in the Lakewood, Virginia suburbs with more than enough room for me, my mom, and my younger brother.

She hired movers so we didn't have to do much once we got to our new house. My car wasn't coming until later so I was stuck at home until it arrived. We'd been in mom's car together for over eight hours and all I wanted to do was take a shower and go to bed.

By the time the movers had most of my stuff placed in my room, I was beyond bored. I'd already counted every floorboard in the room and seen everything possible outside my window. I made my bed and laid on it, contemplating what I could do to kill time. I knew a shower was out of the question until the movers were out of the house. The last thing I wanted was for them to see me naked.

A knock on my door made me jump up to open it. "What's up, Freddie?"

"Mom's going crazy downstairs and wants us out of the house. I think it would be best if we got out of the house before she goes off on the movers," he replied, leaning against the doorjamb.

Freddie was fourteen and one of my best friends. Mom and dad never had a perfect relationship so the two of us banded together a lot. More than a couple nights, I made him dinner and woke him up for school the next morning.

He tossed me the keys to her Subaru and I grabbed my bag, chasing him downstairs to the entryway. We shouted our goodbyes to mom as we jogged to the car and escaped the wrath of hurricane Candace.

We drove around the entire town in literally twenty minutes and deduced there was very little to do aside from a roller rink, a movie theater, and a mall. With no other options, I pulled into the parking lot at the movie theater and we headed inside.

There was a sign standing in the middle of the theater lobby advertising an available job. I probably needed to find a job for the summer, I'd left mine back in New York. I elbowed Freddie and pointed to the sign, only for him to nod his head rapidly.

"Yes, sneaking me into movies and endless popcorn! The perfect job," he agreed, then grabbed my wrist and dragged me over to the ticket booth. "Hi, my sister would like a job application."

Freddie was very abrasive sometimes, and it was either really good or really bad. I was going to ask for myself, but I suppose he thought he should do it first before I lost my nerve like I had a tendency to do sometimes. I looked up to introduce myself and saw a really pretty girl looking back at me. She had short black hair and amazing blue eyes, instantly making my mind go blank.

"Uh, sure. Hang on just a sec, I'll bring you one," she replied, flashing us both a smile before disappearing into the back.

"What was that? It was like you forgot how to freakin' talk," Freddie teased the second we were alone. "Did you think she was that hot, Ari?"

"Shut up," I hissed, punching him in the shoulder. "She is really pretty, don't be an ass."

Our conversation came to a halting stop when the door swung back open and the girl reappeared with a paper in her hands. She handed it to me and smiled, our fingers brushing and making my heart thump. I bit my bottom lip and looked away before peeking back at her from under my lashes to see if she was still looking at me. She'd fixed me with an unreadable look that quickly turned into a small smirk when our eyes met.

"I'm Audrey," she told me as I filled out the application.

I looked up at her fully this time and saw that she was still watching me, making my face flush. "I'm Ari, it's nice to meet you."

"I don't think I've seen you in Lakewood before," she continued as I went back to the application. "And I'm pretty sure I'd remember you."

Was she flirting with me? My eyes flashed up to her in an instant and I saw the playful expression on her face. She was definitely flirting with me. Instead of instantly flirting back like usual, I just looked at her. I honestly felt like my chest was caving in on itself and my tongue was tied in quadruple knots.

"Yeah, we're in the process of moving in right now," Freddie said, thankfully taking the attention off of me and my inability to make small talk or seemingly talk in general.

"That's awesome. Are you going to George Washington?" she asked, her eyes still trained on me as I scribbled down our new address. "Oh, you're probably going to Lakewood Private."

"No, we're both going to George Washington," I replied, finishing the application and finding my voice finally. "Will I see you there?"

"Finally," Freddie muttered under his breath before disappearing into the theater crowd.

"Of course," she told me, taking the application and brushing my hand intentionally this time and letting it linger. "Who else would show you around?"

I flipped my hair over my shoulder and flashed her most blinding smile during a moment of confidence I didn't know I had. "I wouldn't want anyone else."

Freddie mysteriously reappeared beside me and requested tickets to some gory horror flick that made me sigh. I wasn't a big fan of scary movies, I much preferred animated ones or romantic comedies. Call me a cliché, but nothing about being scared on purpose sounded fun to me. He was taking advantage of me in flustered state to get what he wanted, a trait he took back from our father.

"Mom's going to kick your ass if she finds out we went to this," I replied, turning to face him. "Are you serious?"

"It is pretty scary, trust me," Audrey said, sensing my unease and jumping to my aid. "If you want scary but not pants-wetting, try _Hushaby Baby_."

I flashed her an appreciative smile before squeezing Freddie's arm. "Okay, I'm taking your word for it. If you're wrong, you're not allowed to date my sister."

I felt my face heat up at that and whatever confidence I'd mustered fade away, but Audrey just laughed. "It's a good thing I'm telling the truth then."

When my eyes flashed up at her, she winked at me and made me bite my lip because it made me so flustered. I handed her my money for the tickets and tried to keep myself from doing something embarrassing. I'd never been great at flirting with girls I thought were cute, it was like my brain became mush the second a pretty girl smiled at me and Audrey was no exception.

"Do you want to hang out this weekend?" I asked in a rush before I could talk myself out of it.

She grinned at me and I felt my stomach flip-flop anxiously. "That sounds really cool. Can I have your number?"

I took her phone and put my number in, putting the upside down smiley face emoji beside it. When she saw what I'd done, she looked up at me appreciatively. Then I handed her my phone and saw she'd put the little purple devil emoji beside her name.

"Okay, if you're done flirting, can we go? I don't want to miss the previews!" Freddie groaned, tugging on my arm.

"I'll see you this weekend, Ari," she laughed, saluting me with two of her fingers lazily as Freddie dragged me toward our theater.

I waved back at her before turning around to follow my brother. We'd scarcely made it into the theater before he whirled around to look at me. He had a huge smile on his face, he must've been proud of me. We were pretty invested in each other's lives to be three years apart.

"She was cute, way to go, sis," he bragged, leading me to the middle row where we always preferred to sit. "It took you long enough though."

I punched his shoulder again and said, "Shut up and watch your movie."

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	2. Chapter 2

**Audrey's texts are written in italics, Ari's texts are written in bold.**

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Audrey was right, the movie wasn't that scary. Freddie seemed content with it though and that was what mattered. The last thing I wanted was to hear him complain the entire way back home and for days to come. We walked into the lobby of the theater, but Audrey was nowhere to be seen. I felt myself deflate a little as we made our way back to my car.

"Are you disappointed your girlfriend wasn't waiting for you?" he teased as I drove back to our new house. "She was cute, not my type but totally yours."

I rolled my eyes but said nothing in response. She was really cute, and it had been a long time since someone made me that nervous. She was just so confident and gorgeous, it was very intimidating. I had her number, but I knew very well I'd never buck up and text her –I didn't have the courage, especially not after Delia.

The movers were gone when we pulled into the drive and mom was sitting at the kitchen island when we walked in. She had a glass of wine in front of her which meant the day must have gotten even worse when we left.

"Hey, how is everything?" I asked delicately, giving her shoulder a comforting squeeze.

"They broke my Grandma Betty's vase," she replied in a hollow voice. "They scuffed a couple footboards. They shattered the antique mirror your great, great grandmother brought here from Poland."

Things weren't nearly as bad as they could've been, but our mother had a tendency to be a bit overdramatic. "We can get the glass in the mirror replaced, the footboards can be cleaned, but I think the vase is a lost cause."

Mom laughed and leaned against my shoulder in relief. "I'm so glad you're an optimist, everything's pretty dark in my world right now."

I kissed the side of her head before going to put some of the dishes away and said, "I also applied for a job earlier at the movie theater in town."

"She also has a date this weekend," Freddie teased, making me drop a cup to the ground.

"Freddie!" I shouted, my face engulfing in a blush.

"You met a girl? We just moved here!" mom exclaimed, her frown turning into a happy smile within seconds. "I want details."

I sighed and finished putting the box of dishes up before going over to sit beside her at the bar. "Her name's Audrey and she's really pretty. I asked her to hang out this weekend. It's not a big deal, I swear."

My face was flaming, I didn't handle talking about my love life very well. It came from all the years of my father making mean remarks about it since I came out. He never said anything directly, but he was always passive aggressive about it. He would drag lesbians or gays while I was in the room, just not saying them to me directly.

"He's not here, baby. You're allowed to like girls and be proud of that," mom told me, reading my face easily. "Freddie and I love you just the way you are."

"Always have always will," Freddie agreed, punching my shoulder affectionately.

Their acceptance was always such a reassuring thing to remember, but it didn't make me stop blushing. Once the conversation fizzled out, mom took my place putting up the dishes and I went up to put away my own stuff. I heard Freddie's footsteps echoing mine as he went into his own room to do the same.

I'd already made my bed so I started going through boxes, putting my books and stuff on the shelf. I sat an empty vase on my nightstand and made a mental note to buy some flowers to put in it. While I was plugging in my laptop under my desk, I heard my phone go off on my bed. I jolted up and banged my head against the bottom of the oak desk, swearing colorfully under my breath before grabbing my phone.

Unfortunately, it wasn't Audrey. It was from the hauling company who was shipping my car from New York. Thankfully, it would be here sooner than I expected. The text said I should expect it within the next two days, which meant I'd have it before my date with Audrey.

I opened my bedroom door and shouted down the hallway to my mother. "Mom, my car should be here in the next two days! I just got the text!"

"Okay! I'll be on the lookout," she shouted back up the stairs.

As soon as I shut the door, my phone went off again in my hand. When I unlocked it, I saw Audrey's name on the screen and shrieked. She texted me first, she wanted to talk to me! My heart was pounding when I opened the message and read it.

 _I have good news for you._

She had a big, cheesy smile emoji after the message. I liked when people were obvious with their flirting via texts. I couldn't read situations sometimes and didn't quite pick up on flirting, especially if I couldn't hear the people actually talking.

 _ **Oh, yeah, and what is that?**_

I didn't play the waiting game like a lot of people did when it came to texting. I wasn't going to wait longer than she did to send the message, I kind of wanted her to know I was excited. It was a close as I could get to flirting right now because of my nerves. Especially considering she'd sent the first text.

 _I have on good authority that I have a date with the newest Zenith Theater employee._

 _ **Are you serious? I got the job?**_

 _I may have put in a good word…_

 _ **Well, aren't you just the sweetest.**_

She sent me the emoji with buck teeth and thick rim glasses. I laughed out loud, the girl had a skill with appropriate emoji usage. Usually, I got annoyed with girls using too many of them too early, but Audrey was an exception.

 _ **So, when do you want to hang out this weekend?**_

 _I was thinking I would pick you up at seven on Saturday and show you around Lakewood. How does that sound?_

 _ **Really good because I had no idea where I was going to take you.**_

We talked a little while longer and I couldn't wipe the smile off my face. About halfway through the conversation, she FaceTimed me and we continued to talk that way until past one in the morning.

"So you're telling me that you've never eaten pistachio ice cream?" she asked through her laughter. "You have not lived!"

"I don't trust green foods!" I shrieked, clasping my chest as laughter wracked my body. "Unless it comes out of the ground that way, it's not going in my body."

That sent her into a fit of adorable giggles, her nose scrunching up as she laughed. Jesus, she was so freakin' attractive it wasn't fair. I was suddenly overcome with the need to tell her how cute she was so I took a deep breath and jumped.

"You're so cute. Did you know that?" I asked, my face heating up just like I knew it would.

Her chuckles died down and her cheeks dusted pink. It was like she couldn't come up with anything to say in response. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make things weird."

"No, you didn't make them weird," she said quickly, her cheeks still flushed. "You're so pretty, it just took me by surprise I guess."

We talked a little while longer before I realized how later it was. "Oh my god, it's so late. When did that happen?"

"Wow, I didn't realize it was that late either," she replied, running a hand through her hair. "You should come in tomorrow and talk with Rob about your schedule. He'll call with a time for you to meet him."

"Thanks so much. I'm sure I wouldn't have gotten the job without your help," I told her. "So, I'll see you Saturday at seven?"

"Definitely," she smiled, making my heart beat a little bit faster. "Goodnight, Ari."

"Goodnight, Audrey," I replied, waving dorkily before I hung up.

Once I was sure the call was disconnected, I had a total spaz attack. Once I'd gathered myself again, I went to shower and got into bed soon after. I had a job and a date with a pretty rad girl. Maybe Lakewood wouldn't be too bad.

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	3. Chapter 3

**Hope y'all like this chapter!**

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I woke up Friday morning to a call from Zenith Theater. I had an interview with Rob at noon, he obviously didn't know that Audrey already told me I had the job. I got dressed and mom let me borrow her car again so I could go to the interview.

I walked into the theater and saw that it was in full swing. People were everywhere and all the employees were busy helping them. I probably should've looked to see what Rob looked like… just as I was thinking that, a man came up to me with a tie on.

"Ari?" he asked.

"Yes, that's me," I replied, holding out my hand to shake his. "Are you Rob?"

"The one and only," he replied with a smile. "Come with me to my office, Ari. We'll talk about the job and what it entails."

I nodded and followed him to a room off the side of the lobby. He shut the door before sitting down behind his desk with me in a chair in front of it. We did the usual interview stuff and he told me I was hired, then we talked about hours and the days I could work.

"I just moved here so I don't really know anyone or where anything is. I can work whenever," I replied, sitting my hands on my thighs. "Except this Saturday night."

Rob raised his eyebrows but said nothing. "Do you mind coming in Monday at one? I'll have someone here to train you."

"Oh, I'm already register trained," I told him anxiously. "I worked at a grocery store for a while in New York."

"That wonderful, one less thing to teach you," he replied with a pleased smile. "Make sure you tell Audrey on Monday."

"Audrey's doing my training?" I asked, my excitement bubbling to the surface.

"Ah, I had a feeling you two knew each other judging by the way she was talking about you," he said. "Yes, she's going to do your training. She does all the training of new employees."

"She was who brought me my application," I told him, hoping my voice was more even and my face wasn't as bright as I knew it was. "But I can totally come in at noon on Monday."

"Before you say that, I'm required by law to tell you about what happened here last year," he announced, his mood instantly becoming solemn. "I'm sure you've heard of the Lakewood murders by this point, one of the attacks happened in theater 3. No one died, but there was another attack in the lobby."

Knowing about the murders and knowing some of the attacks happened here were two completely different things. It might've been stupid to be freaked about it, but I felt my heart beat a little faster. I wiped my sweaty palms on my shorts and decided to put on my big girl panties.

"I still want to work here," I told him decidedly. "I know how to deal with baggage, trust me."

He seemed satisfied with my answer and stood up, shaking my hand. "Welcome to the Zenith family, Ari."

I left the theater and drove to the mall. Even with all the clothes I owned, there wasn't the right outfit for tomorrow night. It was my first date with Audrey, it had to be perfect. I wanted to look good because I knew she'd look amazing.

After I parked, I sent a text to my mom telling her where I was and went inside. It was bigger than I gave it credit and had more stores inside than I thought. Maybe I'd judged this little rinky-dink town too quickly. It seemed to have a lot to offer me so far.

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I bought a new dress and a pair of flats before going back home to find my car parked in the driveway. An excited noise left my mouth as I ran over to it. I had a lot of memories in that Camry and was very happy to finally have it back with me. Leaving the only life you've ever known was hard, and it was nice to have a little piece of home here with me.

I ran into the house with my purse bouncing against my hip and my shopping bag trailing behind me. Mom was sitting in the living room with a proud smile on her face. She knew it was here already and didn't say anything –I loved her.

"How long has it been here?" I asked, flopping down beside her on the couch. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"It got here about twenty minutes after you left this morning," she answered. "I wanted it to be a surprise. I know how much you love your car."

I flung my arms around her neck and rocked from side to side. "Thank you so much!"

"What did you buy?" she asked after I sat back against the couch arm.

"After I left the theater, I got the job by the way, I went to get an outfit for my date tomorrow night," I told her, slipping the detail in coyly.

"That's wonderful, honey!" she cheered. "I also want to see what you bought, go put it on and show me."

I hurried upstairs to put on my new outfit, slipping the dress on and tying the string of my flats around my ankles. Then I went back downstairs and modeled it for my mom.

"That dress is so pretty! And the shoes are perfect," she complimented. "And hopefully I'm allowed to borrow them…?"

My mother was only thirty-three, she was seventeen when she had me so that mean the two of us shared clothes and shoes a lot. Well, we shared shoes a lot –she had boobs and I had a clavicle. It was kind of cool having a mom to share shoes with, but sometimes I had to reprimand her for not putting them back.

"Don't you always?" I teased before going back upstairs to change and finish unpacking the last of my things.

I turned on music and hummed along to the song playing as I hung my new dress in my closet. I was dancing around the room when I heard my phone go off. I had a snapchat from Audrey, the two of us exchanged names this morning while I was getting ready for my interview.

I opened it to find a picture of her in her Zenith uniform, her eyes closed with the caption: So bored. Send help. I laughed and sent her a picture of me pouting playfully back that said: I'll be there Monday to rescue you. Then I tossed my phone onto my bed and went back to breaking down all the boxes I'd already emptied.

My phone dinged again as I was walking downstairs with all the cardboard in my hands. I laid them in the kitchen with the others before rushing back upstairs to see what she said. I nearly tripped over a stack of shoe boxes by my door in my haste to get my phone off my bed.

Audrey had a hand in her hair with a blinding smile on her face, so radiant that it made my heart skip a beat. The caption said: That and our date tomorrow makes today livable. Knowing she was as excited about tomorrow night as I was made happiness bubble in my belly. I couldn't remember the last time I was looking forward to something this much.

I pursed my lips out in a duck face and crossed my eyes, typing: Happy I can help. Then I sent it with a kissy face emoji sticker on the picture as well. I laid in bed waiting for her response, thinking about how I was going to wear my hair and do my makeup tomorrow night. I wanted to look perfect so she'd be as nervous around me as I was around her, even if I knew that was never going to happen. She was so calm and collected all the time, it was a little intimidating.

My mom called me down for dinner a little while later and I left my phone upstairs, knowing she'd reprimand me if I was on it while we ate. It was one of her rules, dinner was technology-free so we could talk about our days. I knew exactly what they'd ask me about, but I seriously didn't want to talk about it.

There was pasta and bread sitting on the table, homemade pasta by the look of things. Freddie was already sitting down and mom was grabbing a pitcher of water from the fridge. The woman officially had too much time on her hands, she never cooked when we lived in New York much less made things from scratch.

"Mom, you made dinner?" I asked, cautiously eyeing the food.

She glared at me playfully before sitting down the pitcher and pulling her chair under the table. "Yes, stranger things have happened, Arianna."

She meant business whenever she used my full name so I let the subject drop. I knew she had no idea what to do with herself now that she wasn't in New York decorating people's homes and shopping for décor.

"What happened at the theater today?" Freddie asked, trying to change the subject before a fight started brewing. "Did you see your girlfriend?"

I rolled my eyes, but I knew I was blushing. "Shut up, she wasn't there whenever I was. I definitely have a job, I start my training on Monday."

"That's wonderful, honey," mom complimented as we filled our plates with food. "So, do I get to meet this girl tomorrow night?"

That was the question I'd been dreading. It wasn't that I was embarrassed of my mother or of Audrey, I was just nervous for the two of them to meet. The only other girl she'd met was Delia and that was a total trainwreck.

"I guess if you want to…" I replied reluctantly.

She smiled happily and turned her attention to my brother. I knew for a fact she'd meet Audrey tomorrow night whether I wanted her to or not, it was just easier now that I'd agreed to it. Freddie was raving about the friends he'd made today at a skate park I didn't know existed and I was glad the attention was off me.

As soon as dinner ended, I fell into my bed and fell asleep pretty fast. I guess the day had been more exhausting than I realized.

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	4. Chapter 4

**Like always, I'm glad you guys are reading!**

 _ **Ari's Texts**_

 _Audrey's Texts_

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I woke up the next morning and stretched out my muscles, my joints popping pleasurably. I reached over onto my nightstand to grab my phone, but it wasn't there. After a minor freak out, I searched through my covers and found it near the foot of my bed. There was a few Instagram notifications and a snapchat from Audrey.

It was a picture of her with her thumb resting on her bottom lip that said: You are literally the cutest. My face flushed both from her compliment and how sexy she looked in that picture. Without thinking, I screenshotted it and then took one of myself with bedhead and a sleepy smile that said: I just wanted proof you thought that before I sent one of me in my natural state.

I got out of bed and made my way to the bathroom, hoping she didn't think it was weird that I screenshotted her snap. We hadn't even gone on a date yet and I was already saving her pictures. Jesus, I was a total creep.

I blow dried my hair after I got out of the shower before going back to my room and saw a snap from Audrey as well as a notification she'd followed me on Instagram. I opened her snap and saw a picture of her in glasses with a sleepy smile of her own that said: Nope, still cute.

It was becoming problematic how much I wanted to screenshot her cute selfies. I took one of me sticking my tongue out without a caption this time. I pulled on a big t-shirt and shorts before heading downstairs for breakfast. The house was mysteriously quiet and mom's car wasn't in the driveway so I figured she and Freddie went somewhere.

I made myself an omelet and thought about what color I should paint my nails as I stood at the stove. I was practically bouncing by the time the food was finished and wolfed it down in order to start getting ready. I needed to take a breath and calm down before I embarrassed myself tonight.

It was a little after twelve when I got back upstairs to my phone. She'd sent me another snapchat of her with wet hair and her tongue out this time. She also had a little eyeliner smudged under her eye, but she was still the prettiest girl I'd ever seen.

I sent her a snap back with my lip between my teeth that said: Damn! Maybe I was being a bit forward, but I was in a playful mood this morning. Our date was bound to be interesting if I kept this mindset. I sat my phone on the counter in the bathroom and plugged in my straightener as I started doing my makeup. It would take me a few hours if I took my time and didn't rush like I did to get ready for school.

My phone went off and saw that it was Audrey's turn to take a screenshot this time. The picture I sent her wasn't even that cute, I looked kind of stupid. I didn't have enough time to overthink it because she texted me.

 _So, I may have said something about our date to my best friend and he might have invited himself and his girlfriend… I'm so sorry!_

My heart sank at that, it wasn't just going to be the two of us tonight. I could also tell she really didn't want him to come either. I guess it was just one of those things we'd have to deal with, a hurdle to jump over if you will.

 _ **The next date better be just us.**_

I sent it and went back to putting on my makeup as I danced to the music playing from my phone. I was in the middle of applying my foundation when I got a response from Audrey.

 _So there's already a second date?_

 _ **If this one goes well, there may be more than that.**_

 _Fingers crossed._

I heard feet pounding up the stairs and figured it was mom and Freddie back from their adventure. When the bathroom door swung open, Freddie shrieked. I guess he wasn't expecting to see me standing there with half a face of makeup on. He got over his fear almost immediately and started peeing, making me groan and leave the bathroom in disgust. It wasn't like there were three other bathrooms in the house or anything…

Mom was putting away groceries in the fridge so I started putting the others in the pantry. She thanked me and went back to what she was doing. A second or two later, she saw what state my face was in and started snorting with laughter.

"Don't laugh at me! Freddie came in and started peeing when I was in the middle of my contour!" I whined, crossing my arms and glaring at her. "I haven't blended everything yet!"

"You'd better go before it sets and you look like that on your date tonight," she laughed, pushing me toward the stairs. "Surely your brother's finished by now."

I made a face at her before going back upstairs to finish getting ready.

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At exactly seven, Audrey knocked on my door and my heart started racing. I pushed Freddie out of the way and made it to the door first, calming my breathing before I opened it to greet her. Her lips turned up into a smile the second she saw me, her nerves melting away –she must've been expecting my mom.

"Wow, you look beautiful," she exclaimed, stepping into the house with me and hugging me briefly. "Jesus, so pretty."

My face heated up and I looked down at my feet, unsure of what to say. Luckily, my mom heard her and took control of the situation.

"Thanks, I made her," she said, coming over to stand with us. "Hi, I'm Candace Harvey. It's nice to meet you."

I nearly facepalmed at her dorkiness, but Audrey's laugh made up for it. "Congratulations, you did a good job."

"Oh, my god. We're going to go before this can get any more awkward than it already is," I interrupted, taking Audrey's hand and leading her outside.

"Back by midnight or call!" mom shouted out the door.

Once the door shut, I realized we were alone and I was holding her hand. I was about to drop it when she slid her fingers between mine. I looked over at her and saw she was already smiling over at me reassuringly.

"So, midnight or call her, huh? That's pretty late," she told me as we walked down the driveway to her car.

"Yeah, she figures I can't get pregnant so why bother?" I joked, making her snort. "She also knows I'm pretty responsible, she raised me to be that way."

We'd made it to her car by now and I saw that it was empty, making me furrow my brow in confusion. "I thought you said your friend and his girlfriend were coming, too?"

"We're meeting them at Yonder's," she replied, opening my door for me before going around and getting in herself.

I knew my face was a giant question mark and I saw her smiling as she backed out of my driveway. I didn't ask what that was, I just thought about how much I missed holding her hand instead. Like she'd read my mind, she dropped her free hand down from the wheel and I reached over to take it in mine immediately.

"So, tell me all about you. I want to know everything," I announced as we drove through the quiet town together.

I was watching her face so I saw her smile slip for a couple seconds before she slapped it back in place. There was something she didn't want to talk about, and I wanted to know what it was. I knew this wasn't the right time to ask about it, being our first date and all, but I made a note to ask about it later.

"Nothing too dark, this is our first date after all," I added, watching her shoulders lose their tension.

"Uh, there isn't much to tell that's not dark. I've lived in Lakewood my entire life, I work at Zenith, and I'm an amateur director," she shrugged, signaling as she turned onto a small one way street.

"Oh, I'm dating the next Spielberg and didn't even know it? How fascinating," I exclaimed, squeezing her hand playfully.

I watched her cheeks dust pink and made it my personal goal to see that as many times as possible tonight. "Tell me about you, you're kind of a mystery. You roll into Lakewood on a whim and leave a trail of broken hearts at your feet."

"I don't know about that, but I came from New York. My parents had a pretty nasty divorce," I answered, leaving the gory bits out. "Uhm, I have a younger brother that you met the other day, I'm allergic to cinnamon, and I'm pretty into art."

"Oh, so I'm on a date with the next Picasso?" she asked, her tone matching mine from earlier. "How fascinating."

"Shut up, I'm more Andy Warhol than Picasso," I replied, looking over at her and seeing the sly smirk on her lips. "What's Yonder's?"

"It's one of the staples of Lakewood," she told me, glancing at me with a happy smile. "It's a diner with the best cheese fries in the world."

"I wasn't aware I was on a date with such a fry connoisseur," I giggled. "Lucky me."

She pulled into a diner parking lot and turned to look at me once she took the key out of the ignition. "Noah's kind of intense when you first meet him, I'm just giving you a heads up."

"It's a good thing you're cute," I replied, getting out of the car and bouncing on my toes until she joined me.

She led the way into the diner with my hand held securely in hers. A guy and girl were sitting in a booth beside each other and they smiled when they saw the two of us.

"Show time," Audrey whispered before leading me over to the booth.

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	5. Chapter 5

**I have a bunch of chapters already written for this story so my updates can be pretty fast. Also, thank you so much _RHatch89_ for reviewing! I really appreciate you!**

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"Hi, I'm Ari," I greeted, waving awkwardly with my free hand at the two people in the booth.

The girl with short, platinum hair smiled back at me and said, "I'm Gwen and this is Noah. I tried to talk him out of crashing your date, but I couldn't talk him out of crashing dinner."

That made me laugh as I slid into the booth with Audrey beside me. Her thigh was pressed against mine and her heat soaked into me. I honestly tried to focus on what Noah was saying, but all I could think about was the girl beside me. I could feel every move she made and took a deep breath to give myself courage. I placed my hand on her knee and saw her immediately glance down before she looked at me with a content smile on her face.

"So, Ari, where are you from?" Gwen asked, cutting Noah off and directing the conversation to me.

I turned my head from Audrey's intense green eyes to Gwen's interested blue ones. "New York, my mom, brother, and I moved here a couple days ago."

"Wow, you moved from New York? That's so far away," she replied, keeping up conversation with me easily. "What was it like there?"

I laughed and fell into social butterfly mode. "I loved it, there was always something happening. It was also really beautiful during the winter, but you could never see the stars."

"Well, Lakewood's got a sky full of them," she replied. "I bet Audrey would love to show them to you, wouldn't you, Audrey?"

I glanced over at the girl in question and saw her glaring at Gwen. "Of course, wouldn't want to leave that out."

Thankfully, the waiter came over soon after that and took our order. Audrey insisted that we share cheese fries and I agreed because I wanted to see her smile again. I ordered a burger for myself and saw Noah looking at me with a surprised expression. I arched my brows and flashed him a pointed look.

"Sorry, you're just so tiny. I can't imagine you being able to eat that big of a burger," he replied, making Gwen slap his shoulder and Audrey sigh as she leaned her head back. "Gah, ow! Sorry, jeez."

I rolled my eyes, used to people assuming I only ate two carrot sticks and ice. "I can't really do anything about my height and I have a high metabolism. What's your excuse?"

Audrey snorted and laid her hand over mine on her knee, slotting her fingers between mine under the table. "She's got you there."

I looked over at her and moved my eyes along the sharpness of her jaw. The fluorescent lights of the diner did nothing to mask how gorgeous she was. I was overtaken with the urge to press kisses against her fair skin, but we were in public and the date had just started.

Thankfully, she and Gwen were talking about something I'd missed so I wasn't caught ogling her. At least I didn't think I'd been caught until my eyes met Noah's across the table and he smirked. Dammit, he'd totally seen me biting my lip as I stared at his best friend. That was going to definitely be a topic of conversation between the two of them once our date was over.

Our food came a little while later and we dug in, conversation coming to a grinding halt. I appreciated that they also loved food as much as me. I took a bite of the cheese fries between me and Audrey and felt my eyebrows raise in surprise. They were so good!

"These are amazing. You were right," I exclaimed once I'd swallowed my food.

"I'm hurt you didn't trust my judgment," she retorted, winking at me playfully.

I nearly choked on my Sprite when she did that, my heart beating double time against my ribs. She reached over and rubbed my back in worry, exposing that we'd been holding hands under the table in the process. I heard Noah whistle and Gwen was smiling when I looked over at the two of them with pink cheeks.

"So cute!" Gwen cooed before taking a bite of her own burger and turning to Noah. "Do you remember when we were that cute?"

Instead of answering her, he leaned forward and pressed a kiss to the tip of her nose and made her blush. I was always so jealous of straight couples, it must've been nice to be able to kiss whenever they wanted without worrying about the backlash. For the millionth time tonight, Audrey read my mind and smoothed her thumb over the top of my hand affectionately.

We all went back to our food and kept up conversation between bites. I was surprised by how comfortable I felt with all of them, it didn't happen a lot. It wasn't that I couldn't make friends, I just wasn't very good at it most of the time. See my first interaction with Audrey for an example of why.

Eventually, the checks came and I grabbed it before Audrey could. She frowned, but I just shrugged and winked at her this time. Just like before, it seemed to fluster her. I saw a blush creeping up her neck and had the overwhelming desire to reach out and trace the splotches, but I restrained.

"I asked you to go out therefore I pay for dinner. That's how it works, Jensen," I replied, poking the tip of her nose teasingly. "Maybe you can next time…"

"See, you're allowed to argue with me when I want to pay for things. As long as you know I'm going to win," Gwen told Noah, making him roll his eyes in exasperation. "Just like right now. Let's go, Ari."

Audrey slid out of the booth and reluctantly let go of my hand, letting me leave with Gwen to take care of the checks. She linked her arm with mine as she led the way over to the checkout counter. She was about as small as me, but I'm sure she'd put Noah in his place whenever he asked about her ability to put food away. She seemed very independent and sure of herself like that.

"You and Audrey are so adorable!" she squealed the second we were out of earshot. "I haven't seen her this happy in a while, she's been through a lot lately."

That was ominous. I wonder if it had something to do with the Lakewood murders and the attacks that happened at Zenith Rob was talking about. I knew I had no right, but I really wanted to know what happened. Honestly, I wanted Audrey to tell me everything always.

"I get that," I replied lamely. "I think she's really cool, I'm glad we met."

That was possibly the stupidest thing I could have said. I sounded like I'd never talked before in my entire life and didn't know how to string together a coherent sentence. Luckily, Gwen didn't seem to agree and thought it was cute judging by the look on her face.

We paid for the food and made our way back to the booth. The second we were within hearing distance, the conversation between Noah and Audrey stopped abruptly. Either whatever they were talking about was a secret or it was about one of us. I wasn't much of a betting woman, but I'd put my money on the latter.

Audrey slid over and allowed me to sit in the booth, our thighs pressed against each other again. "So, I was telling Noah we were going to head out."

"Ah, that's why you got quiet when we came over," I replied, pursing my lips teasingly.

Audrey's cheeks dusted pink and she rubbed the back of her neck nervously before speaking. "Yeah, I guess we got caught."

The group of us got up from the booth and said our goodbyes, me hugging Gwen after we exchanged numbers. I hugged Noah briefly before allowing Audrey to lead the way back out to her car. The tops of our hands hit each other a few times before we latched fingers.

Once we were in the car, she turned to look at me instead of starting the car immediately. "I'm sorry they crashed our date, I kind of wanted it to be one on one."

I checked the time on my phone and said, "Well, it's only 8:30. We still have a lot of time until my curfew, let's see what happens."

She smiled thankfully and started her car, driving out of the parking lot. I turned the radio on and plugged the aux cord into my phone, choosing the music. I was tapping out the beat of the song against my knee when Audrey started singing under her breath, taking me by complete surprise.

"You like The Wind and the Wave?" I asked, eyeing her incredulously. "I didn't know anyone even knew who they were!"

"Yeah, I saw them a little while back with Noah and Gwen," she replied, looking over at me as we waited at a red light. "I'm kind of always their third wheel."

I laughed at her admittance and asked, "Did you feel like that tonight?"

"Not once."

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	6. Chapter 6

**I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

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 **Audrey's Point of View**

I wasn't lying when I said I didn't feel like a third wheel tonight. Whenever I would feel nervousness kicking in, it was like she knew and she'd touch me. The feeling of her hand resting on my knee made my stomach flip in a way that hadn't happened in a long time.

There was always the thought in the back of my head of what happened last year. Keeping secrets hadn't done me any favors thus far in my life, but the thought telling her the truth terrified me. I'd just met her but losing Ari made it hard to breathe.

I'd nearly lost Emma and Noah and every single person I'd ever cared about because I kept secrets. I also figured it was too early for her to know, but I'm sure it would come up eventually. I knew I couldn't keep it to myself if I wanted to keep her in my life.

"So, where are we going now?" she asked, drawing my attention back over to her as I felt her fiddling with my ring.

"Gwen kind of ruined the surprise already," I replied dejectedly, still a little upset that she'd ruined the main surprise of the date.

"You're taking me to see the stars?" she asked, her excitement palpable in the car.

I couldn't stop myself from looking over at her. She was so beautiful I couldn't believe she wanted to go out with me. She was practically bouncing in the seat as she squeezed my hand without realizing it. Her eyes were sparkling, the brown so deep I couldn't find the words to describe it.

"You're so beautiful," I told her without thinking.

Her cheeks flushed and she bit her bottom lip, making my insides melt. There was something about how easily she got embarrassed that was incredibly attractive. She got flustered over the smallest things, I could never tell what would set her off and I liked that a lot.

"Hush," she finally said, biting her bottom lip. "Don't act like you're not the prettiest girl in the entire world."

I felt my own face heating up as I stared straight ahead at the road. We were going up the side of a mountain and I needed to pay attention so we didn't wreck. Granted, that was easier said than done when you were being called 'the most beautiful girl in the world' by Ari Harvey, the actual most beautiful girl in the world.

We didn't talk much after that, I was too focused on the road and Ari was too busy playing with my rings. I was thankful the silence wasn't awkward. I crested the top of the curvy road to a flat spot where my mom used to bring me when I was really small, before she died.

I got out and waited for Ari to join me before getting up on the hood of my car. "Are you serious? I don't want to dent your car!"

My eyebrows knitted together in disbelief and fixed her with a look. "Are you serious? There's no way you're going to dent this thing. Noah and I sit on it all the time and you're smaller than him."

"There you go, making fun of how much I look like a rectangle," she huffed, moving to sit beside me. "What is it with you and Noah, man? I'm the same size as Gwen."

Oh, no. That wasn't what I meant to do at all, she was perfect. I turned to face her and took both her hands in mine, waiting until she looked me in the eyes to talk.

"You're not a rectangle, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you," I spluttered. "I like that you're smaller than me, it doesn't happen a lot."

Her lips turned up into a smile and she said, "So, you're basically saying I'm the hottest thing on two legs and you're lucky I looked at you?"

I felt the tension in spine lessen at her teasing. "Of course that's what you got from what I said."

She grinned and said, "I was told there would be starwatching. Was that a lie to get me alone, Jensen?"

"Oh yeah, this was my evil plan. I wanted to get you alone in the woods," I snorted.

"And what did you want to do to me?" she asked in a coy voice, biting her bottom lip as she looked up at me through her lashes.

My stomach flipped and I felt my palms start sweating, she was too good at that. "If I tell you, it's not a surprise anymore."

Her eyes flicked from my lips to my eyes before she smirked and leaned forward. I don't know where her confidence came from, but it was really attractive. She reached out and cupped the side of my face, her fingers twisting the ends of my hair and making a shiver course down my spine.

"Can I kiss you?" she asked quietly, licking her lips absentmindedly.

"Definitely."

Her lips tilted up into a smile before I leaned forward and pressed our lips together. Hers were soft and warm, but she was nothing if not insistent. Her hand slid back to grip my hair as I held her waist and moved us closer together. She deepened the kiss and tugged on my hair, and I couldn't keep in my desperate noise.

My entire body flushed and I thought about pulling away, but Ari beat me to it. She moved back from me long enough to catch her breath before pulling my mouth back to hers. I suppose my embarrassing noise wasn't a turn off to her, she must've liked it because she threw her leg over my lap and sat with her arms tossed over my shoulders.

She moved her kisses down along my jaw and neck, her fingers still carded in my hair. I should have never underestimated her, she was wreaking havoc on my body. My heart was pounding against my ribs as one of my hands slid up her back to steady her. She let out a high pitched noise against my throat when my hand brushed over her butt and it made me smirk but keep my hands where they were on her waist.

Her teeth nipped at the skin below my ear and made me release a whimper. She laughed gruffly before biting harsher and making me tighten my grip on her hip. The harsh pull of my hair made another noise leave me, one that made me wince because it sounded so desperate.

"Jesus, we need to stop before this goes too far," she gasped, pulling away from me and leaning back so we were face to face.

I laughed and brought my hand up to her face, brushing away the hair that had escaped the braided crown around her head. I traced my finger down the line of her jaw and leaned forward, kissing her chastely again. Well, I tried to keep it chaste, but it didn't stay that way for long.

It was my turn to take control of the kiss and hold her close. I had one hand holding her by her side while the other cupped her face. I slid my tongue into her mouth and pressed it against hers, hearing her let out a low pitched whimper in response. Her nails dug into the base of my neck when I drug my teeth over her bottom lip as I pulled away from her.

"You're going to kill me," she breathed, making me let out a breathy laugh.

"Nah," I replied, pressing kisses of my own down her throat.

Instead of biting like she'd done, I kissed and licked her pulse point. She let out a loud whimper and ground herself down against me without thinking. It caused my teeth to sink into her, leaving a mark on her fair skin.

"Oh, my god," she breathed, leaning her forehead against my shoulder as gasped for breath. "I am so sorry."

That made me laugh and link my fingers together behind her back. "Why are you apologizing? You didn't do anything bad."

"No, but I became a total fuckgirl," she whined and I could feel the heat coming off her cheeks.

That made me laugh out loud and her echo it with her face still resting against the bend of my shoulder. "You're totally not a fuckgirl. I was just as into it as you were, you just happened to be sitting on my lap."

She finally raised her head and looked at me, her face still had a pinkish tint. "So you would've tried to grind on me, too?"

She sighed and raised her hand to twist my hair around her fingers. I leaned forward and kissed her forehead, making her lips tilt into a pleased smile. Eventually we laid back on my hood with my head on her chest as she played with my hair and we looked at the stars together.

"Do you see that W in the sky over there? It's Cassiopeia, she was a Greek queen who was so vain she was punished to be constantly in the sky. Sometimes she's upside down and seen as a M," she told me after a few moments of silence. "Then there's that elongated V over there, that's her daughter Andromeda. She chained her to a rock to save herself, but Andromeda was rescued by Perseus who is those three lines beside her."

I turned my body around enough that I could look her in the face. She'd completely taken me by surprise, I never expected her to have such a knowledge of stars. She couldn't even see them where she was from.

"My grandmother lived away from the city before she died. She was a mythology professor at NYU before she retired and Freddie and I used to spend summers with her," she explained. "We would lay outside on a blanket for hours while she pointed out the constellations to me and explained their origin stories while Freddie snored on her other side."

I saw her eyes going glassy in the moonlight and panicked. I didn't know how to comfort her if she had a total meltdown, but I really didn't want her to be sad. Instead of actually crying, she just brushed it off and laid back against the hood and I followed her.

Curfew came rushing at us too soon and we ended up outside of her house a little before twelve. We were just looking at each other, her fiddling with her fingers as I tapped my thumb against the steering wheel.

I watched her shoulders move as she took a deep breath and leaned across the small space and kissed me. It wasn't charged like the ones before, it was sweet and gentle. It probably should've been our real first kiss, but it was too late for that.

She pulled away first and leaned her forehead against mine, her breath hitting my lips. Her eyes were still closed when I looked at her, taking in all of her features. I know I'd said it before, but she genuinely was beautiful.

"Tonight was amazing," she told me, pulling back a little so we could talk.

"Easy in my top ten best nights," I agreed, reaching out and twisting her hair around my finger and giving it a teasing tug.

She laughed and said, "Wow, I'm flattered."

"So," I started, letting the word linger between us for a few seconds. "What about a second date?"

She tapped her chin and seemed to ponder for a few seconds, making my heart pound against my ribs. Even if she was just being funny, I didn't want tonight to be a one-time thing. She's the first girl since Rachel I could seriously see myself with, Gina never made me feel this way.

"There's still a couple months until school starts back. I need to pass the time somehow," she finally said, her eyes twinkling in the dashboard light. "You're the perfect candidate for that."

"It's my turn to be flattered," I replied, winking at her and watching her cheeks turn pink in response.

She was still blushing, but my words made her smile. "Good, it's a plan."

Then she moved forward and kissed me once more time before getting out and heading to her front porch. I watched as she walked inside before pulling out and heading home, old habits dying hard. My girlfriends had a tendency to be murdered because of my mistakes and I seriously didn't want that to happen to Ari.

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 **Thanks for reading!**


	7. Chapter 7

**I've finished all the introductions and am finally getting into the plot of the story! I'm so excited!**

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 **Ari's Point of View**

Mom decided Freddie and I needed to come with her on Sunday to explore the town. She actually meant she didn't want to be stuck in the house anymore and was taking the two of us hostage. She also wanted to know how my date went last night and I couldn't avoid her in the confinement of a car. Candace Harvey had everything she needed to be a spy.

By the time we got out on the road, she was already in full question-mode. I could tell by the way she was practically bouncing in her seat she couldn't wait to start asking. If I was a nicer person, I would've already started talking… but I wanted to see her squirm a little. Was that bad?

"So, how'd it go?" she finally asked, making Freddie snort from the backseat.

"Good, I really like her," I replied, not looking up from Instagram on my phone.

"That's it? You're not going to give me any details? I'm starving for interaction that isn't me arguing with someone over the phone," she exploded, making Freddie full-out laugh this time. "Fredrick, shut up. The second you get a significant other, I'm going to be asking you the same questions."

"That would imply someone found him not annoying," I quipped, catching his eyes in the rearview mirror. "And we both know how impossible that is. He's going to live with you until you die and then he's going to live on my couch. I don't need Miss Cleo to see that."

"How you can look so much like your father and act so much like me will never cease to amaze me," mom said as she signaled and drove onto a random road. "Also, I know you tried to change the subject. I still want to know about you date."

I sighed and started from the beginning. "We went to dinner with her best friends and it was pretty fun. Her friend Gwen and I really hit it off, I think we're gonna end up being pretty close. Then the two of us went to this spot away from town and looked at the stars together, and I told her about spending time with Grandma Jennie looking at them and talking about mythology."

I decided my mom really didn't need to know about us making out on the hood of her car. Some secrets needed to stay between couples and not be shared with mothers. At least not until she flat out asked about it, then I'd probably tell her. There wasn't much I didn't share with her, we'd always been close.

"She was pretty," mom replied, looking out her window at all the nice houses in the subdivision we were driving through. "Totally your type."

I rolled my eyes and brought my legs up into the seat with me. "And what does that mean?"

"You've always had a thing for dark hair and light eyes," she shrugged. "Plus she gives off that mysterious vibe. The kind that always gets your heart broken?"

There it was, the real reason she was curious about my date. She didn't want a repeat of last year.

"Not all girls are Delia," I sighed, wrapping my arms around my knees and turning my head to look out the window.

I know I've mentioned her briefly a few times, but I guess it was time to come clean completely. Delia Harmon was my first love and my first broken heart. She was a year older than me and the two of us had art together last year before we moved. I took one look at her with her curtain of ink black hair and her perfectly sculpted face, and I was in too deep. Everything about her screamed seduction and mystery, the perfect trap for a naïve lesbian such as myself.

Unfortunately, she was one of those girls who thought liking girls was edgy and hip to do instead of something she seriously wanted. After six months, I knew I was in love with her and only wanted to be with her. The day after we had sex the first time, she told me she realized she wasn't gay. It completely shattered me and I had to leave school that day because I couldn't stop crying.

"I know that, Ri. I just don't want to see you that devastated again," she replied, reaching over and stroking my hair. "I still wish you would've let me speak with that girl's mom."

That's code for kick her mom's ass and I knew it. My mother came from an old school Italian family that had ties to the mob, at least that's what she's always told me. I had no doubt she would kick as many asses as needed if I asked her to. I had the sneaking suspicion my father had gotten a visit from the mob since we'd left, but it wasn't like he called to tell us or anything. I hadn't heard from him since we left and barely before that.

"That was totally unnecessary and possibly illegal, but thanks," I told her. "I have a good feeling about Audrey, she's different."

That answer seemed to satisfy her and she started asking Freddie about his games. My brother loved video games, he used to belong to a club back on New York. I didn't understand the obsession, but to each their own I suppose.

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We'd just got back home from eating lunch when Gwen asked if I wanted to hang out. She was cleaning out her closet and figured I could look through her clothes. The two of us were pretty much the same size and she seemed to have good taste so I agreed. After she sent me her address, I headed that way.

I sent Audrey a snapchat of me in sunglasses with my lips pursed that said: Playing hard to get only works before you go on a date. I pocketed my phone after I sent that and pulled into Gwen's driveway. At least I hoped it was her driveway, it was the address she sent me at least.

I sent her a text that said I was outside and let out a relieved breath when she walked to the door. Once I locked my doors, I headed up to meet her and we went up the stairs together. We'd just got to the top when a guy came out of a room and his eyes immediately raked up and down my body.

"Damn, Gwen, I didn't know you had hot friends," he said, smirking at me lazily. "I'm Jackson."

I raised my eyebrows and looked between him and Gwen. "It's nice to meet you Jackson, I'm a lesbian."

His smile turned into a scowl almost immediately and he brushed past me without saying a word. I snorted and followed Gwen the rest of the way to her room where she immediately started apologizing.

"Dude, there's no need to apologize. Guys react like that all the time," I promised, squeezing her arm reassuringly. "Something about fragile masculinity."

She laughed before saying, "You can sit on my bed and go through all the stuff on there. There's nothing wrong with it, I'm just out of room and don't ever wear it."

I did as she instructed and started looking through the clothes. "I know all about that, I had three closest full of stuff in New York and that's not even counting the clothes my mom and I shared."

She laughed over her shoulder and went back to looking through her closet. "Yeah, I have a little step sister and she thinks that my closet is her closet. It's very annoying when I can't find a top and see her wearing it."

I held up a mint green bra and checked the size, and I saw her eyes go a little dreamy. "What's up? Does this have some sort of sentimental value?"

She stopped sorting her clothes and came over to sit cross-legged on the bed with me. "It was the bra I wore when I lost my virginity to Noah last year."

"And you're getting rid of it? It's a vintage piece of Gwoah history," I teased, sitting it in a pile by my hip.

"I know, it's not every day you ruin bi-curious and the virgin," she snorted, making me raise my brows. "The crime fighting duo of the year, Audrey and Noah."

I did not like the sound of bi-curious. It sounded like she wasn't sure if she really liked girls or if she was just messing around. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't one of those lesbians who hated bi girls on sight, but I was a bit uneasy around anyone with "curious" in their sexuality title. It sounded like they could change their mind and I already had experience with that and didn't plan on going through it ever again.

"Oh, I thought Audrey was gay," I finally said once I realized I'd been quiet for too long. "I wasn't aware she wasn't sure."

Gwen's face dropped and she immediately started backpedaling. "Oh, no, Audrey definitely likes girls! I've never seen her in a relationship with a boy, other than the time she made out with Noah at a party. But that was a complicated situation."

I felt my eyebrows raise in surprise, I was learning all kinds of things about Audrey today. "Oh, so she's not sure if she likes girls and boys or just girls or just boys?"

"Technically, but I know she likes you," she told me quickly, trying her best to fix what she'd done. "I saw the way she looked at you last night. I don't think I've ever seen Audrey that happy, not even when she and Emma became best friends again."

"Why'd they stop being best friends?" I asked.

"Oh, Emma got new friends and broke Audrey's heart because she was in love with her," she answered without thinking. I saw her expression turn to surprise when she realized what she'd done. "She used to be in love with her! She's not anymore, they're just best friends –strictly platonic. Emma's straight… I think."

So, Audrey might not really be gay or might be in love with her best friend. Was I just a distraction because she couldn't have the girl she really wanted? I thought back to our date and it really seemed like she had feelings for me… but it also seemed like Delia had feelings for me.

"Please don't get upset at Audrey because I can't keep my mouth shut. You should talk to her before you make any decisions," she begged, grabbing my hands. "She already called to talk to me about you, about how pretty you are and how much fun she had last night."

"We went out on one date, she doesn't have to just have feelings for me. She can have sex with whoever, I just don't want to get involved with a girl who thinks hooking up with other girls is cool for a while until they get bored," I explained. "I've been through that before, I seriously don't want a repeat."

Gwen's eyes softened and she said, "Audrey isn't like that. She's not just playing around, I think she's less sure of her feelings for guys than her feelings for girls."

I nodded my head slowly, even if it felt like my stomach was in my throat. "Oh, okay."

We kept going through her clothes together, the awkwardness slowly ebbing away as we talked about the upcoming year. By the time we were finished, I had a big trash bag full of clothes I was taking down to toss in my backseat.

"Like I said, don't jump to conclusions about Audrey and her feelings. She's not very good at expressing them, at least I didn't think so before last night," she told me, leaning against my door and talking with me through my rolled down window. "I don't think I've ever seen her smile that much at one time before."

Gwen was one of her best friends, of course she's going to defend her. I also knew she was telling the truth about needing her input before I made a decision. She was an awful liar, I'd already learned that about her from our little time together.

"I'll talk with her before I freak out too much," I promised, making some of the tension leave her shoulders. "Thanks for the clothes."

She smiled and went back to the porch, watching as I pulled out and called Audrey. She answered cheerfully on the second ring and made my heart lurch painfully.

"Hey, what're you doing right now?" I asked, trying to keep my voice clear of what I was thinking.

"Already desperate for another date?" she teased. "I'm on break if you want to swing by."

"Yeah, I'll see you in a few," I replied before hanging up the phone and turning around to go to Zenith.

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 **I hope you're as excited as I am for the next chapter!**


	8. Chapter 8

**I basically have the entire story finished, I just have to upload it.**

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Audrey was standing outside in her uniform, leaning against the wall of the building. If I wasn't so nervous, I would've appreciated how good she looked. Instead, I pulled up in front of her and tossed my purse into the backseat so she could sit on the passenger side.

She opened the door and got inside, leaning over to kiss me happily. I knew I shouldn't have done it, but I felt myself tense and didn't let the kiss get very far before I pulled away.

"Is something wrong?" she asked, putting her seatbelt on as I pulled out of the parking lot. "Did I do something wrong?"

"Not necessarily, but I talked to Gwen this morning and I can't stop thinking about what she told me," I told her honestly.

"Oh."

That one word kind of broke my heart into a million pieces, she sounded so sad and distant. I bit my bottom lip nervously as my stomach tightened uncomfortably, but I knew I needed to plow through it. I fixed my eyes on the road instead of looking at her so I didn't lose my nerve.

"She told me about your feelings for Emma, which is cool, but then she told me you're bi-curious," I babbled, figuring I should get it all out in one breath before I wimped out. "I dated a girl last year who decided she was straight after she made me fall in love with her. I seriously don't want to go through that again if you decide you don't really like girls or me."

I was just driving down random roads with my eyes still locked on the windshield. The last thing I wanted to do was look at her and completely lose it. I tapped my thumbs anxiously against the steering wheel as we waited at a stoplight.

"Oh," she repeated sadly. "It sucks you found out all that through Gwen, but it's all true. Except the not liking girls thing. I like girls, I'm just not sure if I like boys. And I definitely like you."

I pulled into a random bank parking lot and turned off the car, turning my body to face Audrey. "I know it's not fair for me to assume you're exactly like my ex, I'm just afraid. Delia wrecked me for a while."

Audrey's icy exterior fractured at my admittance and she ran her hand through her hair. "I'm sure you've heard of the Lakewood murders that happened last year. One of the people who died was my girlfriend, Rachel."

"Oh, my god. I'm sorry, that's so horrible," I told her sincerely.

"Yeah, it's not quite the same as what happened to you, but I'm also not great at relating to people or opening up," she told me, shrugging her shoulders.

I reached over and brushed some hair she'd missed out of her face. "I know it's crazy, but I'm working on my craziness. You're kind of scary."

Her eyebrows knitted together at my admittance and asked, "What makes you say that? I would never hurt you, Ari."

I knew I didn't need to tell her what I was thinking. Delia told me she'd never hurt me too, but that wasn't what happened. I know every girl isn't her, I just don't ever want to take the chance of being destroyed again if she was.

"I'm sorry to make it seem like your sexuality isn't valid, you're allowed to like whomever you want. I know not all bi girls change their minds," I told her, turning around so I could sink back into the seat. "I just like you a lot and don't want to regret this."

She laughed humorlessly and said, "I do kind of feel attacked, but I get why you're doing it. Broken hearts suck and it's hard to see past them in future relationships. You just have to cut me some slack, I'm not that girl."

I sighed and nodded, stretching my body out as much as I could from behind the wheel. "I know this is so much to lay on you after one date, my stomach just clenched up so tight I had to. Also, don't be mad at Gwen for telling me stuff. She kept making sure I knew you liked me and she'd never seen you smile as much as you did last night."

"I'm annoyed, but I'm not mad. I just don't want things to be weird between us, I liked how they were last night," she said, reaching over and taking my hand in hers. "There's a lot I need to tell you, but it's not the right time."

"Just promise me there will be a right time," I replied, placing my other hand on top of hers. "I'm not rushing you, I just want to make sure you're not playing games."

"Never with you," she said without hesitation.

Even if it was scary, I decided to trust what she said. I dropped her hands and leaned forward, holding the sides of her neck as I pressed my lips against hers. Even if we were in a random bank parking lot, I allowed her to pull me as close as the console between us would allow.

A horn honked outside and we pulled away from each other laughing. There was a pissed off middle age woman in a minivan glaring at us. I couldn't hold in my giggles at the entire situation, it was just ridiculous.

"I'm sure your break is over soon, I'd better get you back to work," I told her, starting my car and heading toward the theater.

She nodded her head reluctantly but kept one of my hands in hers. When we got back to the theater, she leaned over and kissed me again. As much as I wanted to deepen it, I knew that wasn't a smart idea. I groaned the entire time I pulled away and watched her take off her seatbelt so she could get out.

"I'll see you tomorrow for your training," she said, leaning forward and kissing my forehead a final time before getting out of the car.

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"You want me to talk to Freddie about sex? Heterosexual sex," I scoffed, eyeing my mom skeptically. "Do I need to tell you why that's problematic?"

"Well, he's definitely not going to listen to me. The second the word condom leaves my mouth, he's going to shut down!" she argued.

"At least you know how to use a condom! I've never seen one unless I was goofing around with my friends!" I shrieked, making my mother snort.

"Obviously I'm not very great at the mechanics," she retorted with a few seconds downtime. "I have two kids and no baby daddy."

The two of us were lounging on the couch together, watching reruns on TLC. Freddie was at the local arcade making friends because he was the social one of us. Apparently, that gave mom ample time to tell me about his rampant sex life that I had no clue existed.

"Are you sure it was a hickey on his neck?" I asked, referring to when he came home the other night after hanging out with a group of his new friends.

"Yes, it looked exactly like the one you had when you came back from Audrey's the other day," she replied sassily.

Audrey and I had been pretty inseparable for the last two weeks, spending nearly every day together since our first date. Tonight was designated 'mother/daughter fun night' by my mother and I had to stay in. Not that I really minded, I liked spending time with her.

"Wow, I thought you said both of us were planned," I snickered.

"I was seventeen when you were born and twenty when your brother was born," she told me. "I'm sure that's an equation even you can solve, D-."

That made me laugh so hard I snorted, hitting her with the throw pillow from beside me. That triggered laughter of her own, the two of us sounded like a gaggle of hens. I missed nights like this, we didn't get them a lot when she and dad were still together. She was always so stressed out, she never relaxed like this.

"So, are you planning on bringing Audrey to dinner any time soon? I would like to meet the girl," she told me after things settled back down and our show ended.

I swallowed at her sudden questioning and tried my best to not look her in the eye. "Uh, I hadn't really thought about it. We haven't been together very long and meeting my mom sounds kind of intense."

"Not really knowing the girl my daughter spends the majority of her time with in a town notoriously known for a serial killer is kind of intense," she counted, taking a sip of her water to prove a point.

Dammit, she had a point and it pissed me off. I had to bring Audrey home to meet my mom at some point soon. She'd been pretty lenient about my curfew and stuff, but I knew that wouldn't last forever if she didn't get something in return.

"You're right. I'll talk to her about it tomorrow at work," I sighed. "Now, let's watch _Stepford Wives_ again."

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 **Thanks for reading.**


	9. Chapter 9

**This chapter has a bit of content, but I don't think it's enough for me to change the rating. Just giving y'all a heads up in case that stuff makes you uncomfortable.**

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 **Audrey's Point of View**

I was sweeping up theater 3 when someone wrapped their arms around my waist and pressed a kiss to the back of my neck. The tension immediately left my body as I leaned back into Ari's embrace, forgoing my job to place my hands over hers. She hummed in contentment and started pressing kisses along the side of my neck until she got to my ear. Then she sucked the lobe into her mouth and scrapped her teeth over it, making me dig my nails into her thigh through her pants.

"I'm trying to work," I whined as she her hands slid over my hips and squeezed. "Anna, I'm serious."

She laughed huskily in my ear before whispering. "Do you really want me to stop, baby? Because I don't think you do."

I regret every second I ever thought she was innocent. Well, either that or I turned her bad. Both options were incredibly attractive and I really didn't want her to stop. I leaned my head back against her shoulder and let her do what she wanted with hopes that we wouldn't be caught… again.

Well, I don't think the first time necessarily counts. Ari and I were closing together last week when I ended up pinning her against the wall with one of her legs wrapped around my hip. Her top was off and I was leaving more than a couple marks across her skin when Noah came in to pick me up. Let's just say I wasn't a big fan of him seeing her topless, but I had to push that aside and take care of her because she was near panic attack. She had anxiety that made an appearance whenever she was the center of attention.

I focused back on Ari when I felt her hands sliding up my shirt, her fingers trailing over my bare stomach. That was my breaking point, her hands were so soft it drove me crazy. I turned around in her embrace and pressed our lips together. Her other hand gripped my butt and made me release a throaty moan against her mouth. I'd never been so vocal before her.

The kiss broke when she grinned and pulled away to look at me. Her lips were puffy and her face was flushed, the embodiment of sexy. "God, you're so freakin' gorgeous."

"Shut up," she groaned, leaning back away from me but leaving her hands on my body. "You're gorgeous."

"Shut up," I mocked, leaning forward and kissing her lightly. "Did you have a reason for this or were you just feeling frisky?"

She scoffed and released me so she could cross her arms over her chest. "Why do I have to have a reason? Can't I just want to kiss my girlfriend?"

I raised my brows and asked, "Oh, so I'm your girlfriend now? When did that happen?"

She clammed up and I instantly felt awful. I rubbed my thumb just under her ear and leaned my forehead against hers. When she didn't respond, I took both sides of her face in my hands and tilted it up until she had no choice but to look at me.

"I'm an ass, the world's biggest ass," I said. "You are my girlfriend and I am your girlfriend. I was just trying to be funny and it flopped. We've talked about how the only thing I'm good at is saying the wrong thing."

"I swear I'm trying to not be so sensitive, it's just hard," she sighed, allowing me to hold her as her spine lost its rigidity. "I know you're not Delia, and I know I really care about you."

Her confession made warmth blossom inside me. I loved hearing her say she cared about me and knew I wasn't her ex. When she'd first dropped that bomb, it broke my heart for her. There was enough issues within the LGBTQ community, the issues between community members themselves made things worse. Her not trusting me because I was bi kind of made me sad for her as well as myself. If I was even bi, I wasn't sure and I know I would probably feel the same way if our roles were reversed.

"I am so into you, Arianna Eleanor," I swore, her soft eyes holding mine steadily. "I don't know if I'm a lesbian or if I'm bi, but I do know I like you a lot."

She nodded and brushed her nose against mine, making me smile. "Good, sometimes I need to hear that. I just need a little reassurance."

"Jensen, Henry! Your tongues better be in your own mouths!" Hank, a guy we worked with, shouted as he entered the theater. "Gross, I think I'd rather see the two of you going at it than this."

"We're not here to fuel your spank bank," I snapped at him, letting go of Ari so she could step back. "What do you want?"

"I was going to see if Ari would finish my shift for me. My kid's in the hospital," he said, instantly going from creep to normal. "I think she broke her arm."

"Oh, no. I'll totally cover for you," she replied, turning her body to face him. "Tell Lilly I hope she feels better soon!"

Hank smiled and nodded to her. "I will, thanks."

She hugged me once more before following Hank back out to the lobby. I picked up the broom and went back to doing my job. She was so nice sometimes, the two of us didn't make sense. I wasn't nice or friendly most of the time, but she was probably one of the most outgoing people I've ever met… when she was comfortable at least.

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 **Ari's Point of View**

I got off at nine that night instead of six because I'd taken on the rest of Hank's shift. Audrey and I made plans to meet at her place and watch movies together, but I went home long enough to shower and change into comfy clothes before going there for the night. My mom was pretty okay with that, I mean it wasn't like I could get pregnant and I wasn't going to get a STD or anything. We also weren't having sex, but that wasn't important.

I pulled into her driveway just behind her dad's car and checked my hair in the mirror. It was the first time she was going to see me without makeup and I was a little nervous. I knew she wasn't going to judge me or anything, but it was like losing my safety blanket.

Once I'd psyched myself up enough, I headed up to her door. I could hear her dad in the living room with the TV playing, and my anxiety amped up even more. The two of us hadn't met yet, and I wasn't even aware we were at that level yet. I honestly was under the influence that we'd be alone… I was wrong. I'd barely raised my hand to knock when the door was flung open by Audrey.

"Hi," she said, grinning at me cheesily. "Come in!"

I followed her inside and heard the TV suddenly go silent. Then her father walked into the room where we were, smiling tiredly at us. I instantly saw the similarities between their smiles, even if his didn't quite reach his eyes like Audrey's did.

"I'm Ari," I introduced, extending my hand to him. "It's nice to meet you."

He took my hand in his and shook it politely, but I could see that he seriously didn't want to be here. "The pleasure's all mine, Ari."

Thankfully, the awkward encounter ended a couple seconds later and Audrey led the way upstairs to her room. Halfway there, her hand found mine and twined our fingers together affectionately. I felt a familiar smile pulling at my lips as I followed her into her room and she shut the door.

"Sorry, I didn't tell you about my dad. He was supposed to be at the parish all night," she told me, turning around and taking my other hand in hers. "You are so gorgeous, Jesus. I know I say that a lot, but I keep realizing it."

My insides liquefied just like always when she complimented me, then I realized what she said before that. "Wait, did you just say parish? As in your father is a preacher?"

She dropped my hands and rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly, walking around the room nervously. "Oh, uh, yeah. I forgot to mention that, didn't I?"

"Hey," I said, halting her movements and holding her face in my hands. "Your dad could be freakin' Jeffrey Dahmer and I would still be into you."

I was being funny, but she froze in my hands and became distant within seconds. "Hey, what happened? Is everything okay?"

She nodded her head and leaned forward, kissing me instead of replying. As much as I wanted to keep talking, kissing her was kind of intoxicating. I slid my hand under her shirt to rest on the bare skin of her hip as her fingers tightened around my face seductively. She walked me backward until my knees hit the side of her bed and I fell back onto it clumsily, trapping my bottom lip between my teeth when I looked up at her with a flush dusting my cheeks.

"Are you just going to look at me or actually do something?" I challenged, swallowing my embarrassment.

She narrowed her eyes before crawling over my body, pushing my shirt up as she placed kisses along my stomach. We'd never done this, but I couldn't figure out why not for the life of me. My breath was shaky as I ran my fingers through her hair, my head tossed back when her kisses reached the bottom of my bralette.

I pushed her back long enough to sit up and pull my t-shirt over my head, then I pulled her back down on top of me. We kissed fiercely, my hands under the back of her shirt and running over her skin delicately. But, before it could get too intense, I pulled my mouth away from hers and took her shirt off.

She smirked down at me and leaned in to kiss the side of my neck with her hands teasing my skin. Her kisses moved down and I leaned my head back, giving her more room. My fingers were busy twisting in her hair, trying to keep my noises as quiet as possible.

"You're making it very hard to stay quiet," I breathed out as she kissed just below my collarbone.

She laughed and it made a shiver course down my spine. "That must be hard, I know how loud you are."

Her teasing did something to me and she knew it. Instead of answering her with words, I whined pathetically and arched into her. Her breathy laugh sounded again and irritated me a little, this wasn't just going to be about her teasing me.

While she was distracted, I rolled her onto her back and pinned her hands on either side of her head. She licked her lips and drug her teeth across her bottom lip, making a moan escape my mouth as I pounced on her. She was wearing a black lace halter bra that looked way too good against her pale skin as I pressed kisses along her chest and cleavage. I made sure to leave a mark on her where only we'd see it.

I traced my tongue along the swell of her breast and she let out a mewling sound that dampened my panties. Things were going way too far, we needed to chill even if that was the last thing I wanted to do. I kissed back up to her neck and pressed a small one to her lips before rolling off her.

The only sound in the room was our breathing as we laid beside each other with our shoulders touching. Her fingers brushed against the back of mine before she turned onto her side to look at me. There was a bit of worry behind her eyes and I knew I had to explain what happened before she took it the complete wrong way.

"Hi," I breathed, turning on my side to match her. "I do want to have sex, just not yet. If that's what you're worried about."

She nodded and replied, "Yeah, I get that. I don't want to move too fast with you and mess things up."

"If you weren't so freakin' cute, it would be easier," I sighed, leaning forward as a laugh left my mouth. "God, you're so sexy it's unfair."

That made her laugh and push my shoulder until I looked back at her. "Shut up, I am not sexy at all. I'm butch as hell."

I snorted and reached forward to hold her side, running my fingers over her skin. "I think you're so sexy, butch or not. Jesus, I can't even deal with it."

She rolled me over and pinned my hands like I'd done with her earlier. "I can't even start to tell you how much you turn me on, Anna."

I arched my neck up and kissed her again, the kiss sweet instead of fierce. She released my hands and I draped my arms over her shoulders, my fingers playing leisurely with her hair. One of her hands cradled my head while the other skimmed up and down my ribs.

When we parted, she lazily said, "Mhm, we'd better watch those movies before things get out of hand."

I made a noise of agreement and allowed her to move off of me. She tossed me my t-shirt as she went to turn on the movies. We cuddled up together on her bed, her head leaning against my chest as I reclined against her headboard and played with her hair absentmindedly.

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 **If you think I need to change the rating, leave a review and tell me. Thanks!**


	10. Chapter 10

I woke up the next morning with an unfamiliar weight leaning against my front. When I cracked my eyes open, I saw Audrey cuddled back into me with one of my arms under hers and her hand resting on top of mine. She was still asleep, her face softer than I'd ever seen it and my heart swelled with affection for her.

Her dark lashes were resting against her cheeks as the sun shined through the window. It bathed her in golden light and made her look innocent, a word I never used to describe Audrey. I could feel every inch of her body pressed against mine, from her head laying on my arm to her knees curved around mine. I'd never actually spent the night with a girl before, I always thought cuddling as you slept looked uncomfortable, but I couldn't have been more wrong. This was wonderful.

When I couldn't wait any longer, I pressed my lips to the back of her neck and kissed down along the column of her neck. I felt her breathing change as she snuggled back into my embrace, sliding her fingers down between mine. I really liked sleepy, affectionate Audrey. She was cute as hell.

"Good morning, baby," I greeted quietly as I kept her close.

"I don't even remember falling asleep," she replied, lifting our hands so she could press a sweet kiss to the middle of my palm.

"It happened about an hour or so into X-Men," I replied, loosening my hold so she could shift around until she was facing me. "I'm only a little offended considering you literally slept on one of the best movies in cinematic history."

She laughed and replied, "I wasn't aware you were such a fan of Hugh Jackman."

"As if, he's not even the best character in the spinoffs, much less the original," I scoffed playfully, our voices still quiet in the morning light washing over her room. "Storm is where it's at, babe."

"God, it's like I'm sleeping with Noah," she exclaimed dramatically. "Speaking of, there's a get together with me and my friends tonight and I would like it if you came. It's just us, but it's kind of something we like to do at least once a month."

"Oh, that sounds fun," I replied, only a little bit of nerves in my voice.

Audrey's friends were basically her family so there was a lot of pressure resting on tonight. I knew Noah and Gwen were okay with me, but there were others I had to win over. I was a little skittish to meet Emma, the girl Audrey used to be in love with, because I know I'll instantly compare myself to her.

Then there was the whole elephant in the room. All of them were survivors of attempted murder and I had no idea how to *not* bring that up during conversation. We all know how terrible I am around new people and how I have a tendency to stick my foot in my mouth.

"Have you ever been told that you have a very expressive face?" she asked. "You don't have to worry, they're going to love you. And don't worry about the serial killer thing, I'm sure it won't even come up."

I sighed and nodded; this was a huge step for us and it kind of terrified me. I wanted to get closer to her and I knew this was how to do that, but there was still that little voice in the back of my head warning me to be careful. Even if my heart felt like it was going to beat out of my chest, I agreed to go with her tonight.

The answer seemed to make her happy because she leaned forward and kissed me with a grin on her lips. Like always the kisses became more intense and I pulled her closer, our fronts pressed together. I'd taken off my bra last night before we went to bed and, with our bodies so close together now, I could tell she had too.

She sucked my bottom lip into her mouth and nibbled on it, making a wanton whimper rattle in my chest. I dug my nails into the skin of her hip under her top, trying to keep quiet so her father wouldn't hear us. When she pulled away from my mouth, she sucked my lip and let it snap back.

"You seriously want to get caught by your dad, don't you?" I teased, resting my hand on the curve of her hip instead of scratching her.

She smirked at me and ran her thumb over my lips, and I automatically parted them so it slipped inside. I brushed my tongue over the pad of her finger and saw her pupils dilate in desire. Then she moved her hand from my mouth to cup my jaw, bruising my mouth with a fierce kiss.

Eventually, I pulled away from her and got out of the bed to pee. When I came back to her room, I saw her sitting cross-legged in the middle of her bed. Her messy, bedhead might have been one of the cutest things I've ever seen. It was such a juxtaposition to her normal appearance.

I grabbed my bra off the floor and turned my back to her before I lifted my shirt so I could put it back on. I didn't have to turn around to know she was watching me, I could feel her eyes. She couldn't see anything other than my back, but it still made my blood run a little bit hotter. Once my clothes were back in place, I turned around and sat down in front of her on my knees so I could kiss her forehead.

"You're so cute with your bedhead and your sleepy face, I hate to leave you," I sighed, brushing my fingers through her fringe. "Text me later with the details about tonight, yeah?"

"Definitely," she replied, her cheeks still flushed from my compliment. "I'll see you later."

I kissed her one last time before grabbing my backpack and heading back out to my car. Her father was sitting at the kitchen table, but something told me to not say goodbye to him. I didn't exactly get the vibe that he liked me very much, well, it was either that or he didn't like his daughter having a girlfriend.

Nerves filled my stomach again at the thought of meeting all of her friends tonight. I wanted to make a good impression without completely making myself feel like shit about myself. I had a tendency to compare myself to other people and I was afraid I'd do that with Emma. I was trying my best to deal with both her possible feelings for Emma and my issues, but they were both a work in progress.

I pulled into our driveway and saw all the windows open on the bottom floor. My mother must be airing out the house, something I'd only seen done on television. She was probably only doing it because she had seen the same TV show. Freddie and I just went along with pretty much everything she wanted.

As soon as I walked inside, I heard Wu-Tang Clan blaring through the house. Mom must've woke up in a good mood. I passed by the staircase and saw her standing in the middle of the kitchen with a couple paint cans around her. That made sense, she was deciding on a painting color and needed inspiration –the dope ass rhymes of the Wu-Tang Clan doing just that.

"So, what color are you thinking?" I asked, coming into the kitchen and grabbing an apple off the island.

"I'm stuck between this grey and this yellow," she replied, gesturing to the two cans closest to her. "How'd your night go?"

"We didn't have sex if that's what you're asking," I told her, eating some of my apple as I hopped onto the counter. "I stopped things before they went too far, we haven't really talked about that. I don't even know if she's a virgin or not."

"I don't have to tell you it'd be really bad to take her virginity if you aren't really into her, right?" she asked, raising her brows at me.

I sighed and nodded. "Yes, but you don't have to worry about that. I really like her and we're not having sex. I'm meeting her friends tonight though, so I don't know when I'll be back. Is that okay?"

"Text me the address once you're there and if you're staying," she answered. "I'm giving you a lot of trust, Ari, because you've never given me a reason not to. Please don't change that."

"Of course," I replied, hopping off the counter and tossing the core of my apple in the trash. "I'm going to go shower now and get ready for tonight."

"Probably do something about that hickey on your neck, just a thought!" she shouted after me, dissolving into a fit of giggles right after.

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 **Thanks for reading, my dudes.**


	11. Chapter 11

**I get sporadic reviews and I appreciate them so much! Thank you!**

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I'd just gotten back up to my room when I got a snapchat from Audrey. I ditched my yoga pants and t-shirt before opening it. It was a picture of the hickey I'd left on the side of her boob with the caption: Really? Was this necessary? with the monkey emoji covering its eyes. I snorted and replied back with a picture of me smiling happily that said: Very.

I sat my phone on the sink and got in the shower, still smiling about the spot I'd left. No one could see it except for the two of us so it wasn't a problem. The noise she made when I left it made it even more necessary. She was a whiney mess the second I pressed a kiss there, much less when I started sucking and nibbling with my teeth. I kinda loved how vocal she was, surprised but happy.

Jesus, I had to think about something else. The last thing I wanted was to show up to this party tonight a desperate mess for her. I needed to at least make her friends think I had myself together and wasn't thinking about jumping Audrey's bones every time I saw her, even if it was kind of a lie.

I finished showering and headed back into my room with a towel wrapped around my hair and my body. The first thing I did was check my phone and saw that Audrey had snapped me back and texted me. I opened the snap first and saw that it was a video, making me knit my eyebrows together in confusion.

The camera traveled up from her cleavage where I'd left the original hickey along her chest to her neck. There was a line of hickeys all along there I didn't even realize I'd left, I was too far gone. I felt my cheeks flush red in realization, the girl really did make me forget everything other than her when we were together.

I sent her a snap of me blushing with my bottom lip between my teeth that said: I didn't realize I did it, but I'm not sorry. Once I sent it, I clicked on her text to read it.

 _Hey, I'll be by your place at five today._

 _ **Sounds like a plan to me. I just got out of the shower so I should be ready to go by then.**_

I tossed my phone back onto my bed and grabbed some panties and a bra. I was in the middle of searching my closet for an outfit for tonight when I heard my phone go off again. I ended up grabbing an off the shoulder top and some jeans before going over to see who'd texted me.

 _I know how long it takes you to get ready. Are you sure you're going to be ready in two hours?_

 _ **Wow, I'm kind of offended. Am I not worth waiting for?**_

I blow dried my hair with my head upside down to give it more volume. Then I flipped it back to the right way and finished drying it. Once it was dry, I grabbed my phone and went into my attached bathroom to plug in my wand.

 _I'll always wait for you, Anna. It'd just be nice if you were ready by five._

 _ **You're so sweet, even when you're rushing me.**_

I went back to getting ready with music playing so you know how that went. I performed an entire concert as I did my makeup. I was in the middle of curling my hair and performing when someone started laughing. I jumped and dropped my wand into the sink, whirling around to find Audrey watching me from the doorframe of my room.

Thankfully, I'd put on a flannel and a pair of shorts and wasn't just in my panties anymore. I paused my music and turned around to look at her shyly. I was being a complete dork, more so than I'd been around her so far in our relationship.

"Oh, hi," I said, standing up straighter and waving at her awkwardly. "Is it five already?"

"No, you still have twenty or so minutes," she told me, her grin never wavering. "I didn't think you could get any cuter, yet here you are."

I laughed and went back to finishing my hair, spraying the curls in place. Then I walked over to her and wrapped my arms around her waist. She smiled and put her arms around me, leaning forward to kiss my forehead. Then she moved back and eyed me, her lips sliding into a smirk when her eyes landed on my neck.

She reached forward and cupped the side of my neck, rubbing her thumb over the hickey. "I didn't even realize I left that."

"That makes two of us," I laughed. "My mom pointed it out to me when I came in this morning."

Audrey groaned and leaned back against the door, letting me walk into my room to get dressed. I unbuttoned my flannel and tossed it onto the ground before I pulled on my t-shirt. I was in the middle of tying my booties when she picked up the discarded shirt from the floor.

"Is this mine?" she asked, raising her eyebrows at me.

I shrugged and sat up straight on my bed. "I don't know, it might be or it might belong to my other girlfriend."

She tossed the shirt onto my bed by me and snorted. "You're not cute anymore, I changed my mind."

I jutted out my bottom lip and looked at her through my lashes, hoping I came off demure instead of weird. She sighed in defeat and came over to my bed with me, flopping back on it spread eagle. I couldn't help myself, I crawled over her body and sat on her waist with my knees on either side of it with my hands resting on her stomach as I leaned forward.

"Are you sure?" I asked quietly, pressing kisses along her neck.

She just hummed and I kept going, my goal to get her to answer me. Instead of kissing, I started leaving bites without marks this time. She was making quiet noises but not talking, and that wasn't what I wanted.

"I asked you a question, baby," I teased, leaning up and looking down at her. "Are you sure I'm not cute anymore?"

"Uh, no?" She wasn't very convincing, but it also wasn't the answer I wanted. I leaned down and kissed just behind her ear, sucking on her skin firmly and intentionally leaving a mark this time. "Anna, god, you are so cute, the absolute cutest. Jesus, don't stop."

I moved my kisses to her mouth and kept control of the kiss, not allowing her to get the upper hand. She was still letting out little breathy noises as she tried to keep her composure, even though it was slowly cracking. I sucked her bottom lip into my mouth like she'd done to me, but I was far less gentle. I wasn't quite drawing blood, but she knew my teeth were there.

I flipped my hair over my shoulder when I pulled away and looked down at her, my own bottom lip trapped between my teeth. Her pupils were huge and her face was pure desperation. Her face said she wanted things to go further, but I knew that wasn't the best idea.

"We need to talk about boundaries," I told her, sitting back up straight astride her hips.

"Huh?" she asked, her voice rough and confused.

I laughed and brushed her hair out of her face. "We need to talk about our boundaries. If we want to have sex soon or later and our past, kinds of stuff like that."

She nodded and shook her head, sitting up and letting me move to sit in front of her instead of on her lap. "I get wanting to wait, we've just got together. I really like you and know sex complicates things. I don't know if you're a virgin, but I am and am kind of just playing things by ear with you."

"Are you serious? You had me fooled," I replied, crossing my legs and resting my hand between them. "I'm not a virgin, but I really don't want us to rush into anything either."

"You say that and then you kiss me like you just did. I feel like you're making it harder than it has to be," she teased, her eyes glowing.

"Oh, yeah and you're not doing anything to make it hard on me," I retorted, crossing my arms to prove my point.

"That wasn't as painful as I thought it'd be," she told me a few minutes later. "I've never actually had this kind of talk before, things were serious but not this serious."

I nodded and said, "That's what I was hoping for. We should probably go, the first impression I give your friends shouldn't be that I'm always late."

"But you are," she teased, rolling off my bed and offering me her hands. "You look cute, I like that top."

I swore under my breath and disappeared into my bathroom to cover up the hickey she left earlier. Once it was blended against my skin, I grabbed her hand and drug her downstairs to her car with a smile.

* * *

 **Thaaaaanks!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hi, welcome to Drama City!**

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Audrey drove to a house with a couple cars already parked in front of it. Great, we were the last ones here so I had to make an entrance. Thankfully, Audrey's hand held mine tightly to keep me from being a puddle of embarrassment in my sneakers. She flashed me a reassuring smile before opening the door to the house. As soon as the door opened, all conversation in the other room came to a grinding halt. Audrey gave me one last reassuring smile before leading the way into the living room where they all were.

"Hi," I said, awkwardly waving at the group.

There was a blonde girl with bangs sitting on the lap of a Latino guy wearing a hoodie. Then a girl with sandy blonde hair sitting beside Noah and Gwen. At least there were some familiar faces within this moment of awkwardness. I could feel my face flushing as my mind started to turn to mush, we already knew I didn't do well in situations where I was the center of attention.

Gwen hopped off the couch and rushed over to me, hugging me happily. "I'm so glad you're here!"

Some of the weight on my shoulders lifted as I hugged her back. Noah waved at me from the couch after Gwen and I let go of each other. Then the girl on his other side stood up and I figured out who she was before she introduced herself. She had to be Emma and I felt my stomach drop to my knees when I realized the two of us couldn't be any different. She was tall and willowy, while I barely broke 5'2" unless I was in heels and was basically a rectangle. There were those insecurities I was afraid would rear their ugly heads.

"I'm Emma," she said, pulling me into a hug immediately like she didn't know the complete crisis I was having in my head.

I tried my best to stop myself from becoming rigid and stiff in her grip and patted her back awkwardly. "I'm Ari, it's nice to meet you."

Thankfully, the hug ended and Emma introduced me to the others sitting in the room with us. "That's Brooke and her boyfriend, Stavo."

I nodded in their direction and took a step back to stand beside Audrey again where I felt most comfortable. She walked over to a loveseat and we sat down, everyone's attention leaving us thankfully. At least until Emma turned to us and started asking me questions.

"So, Ari, how do you like Lakewood so far?" she asked, making the others flash their eyes over to the two of us immediately.

I narrowed my eyes as I looked at all of them. What was happening? Why did they all freak out about her question? It was pretty run of the mill question to ask the new girl. I knew about the murders, but did they expect me to be a mess over it?

"Uh, I like it alright?" I answered, but it was more of a question than a statement.

"Oh, so you don't know about the murders then?" Stavo asked, making Brooke hit him chest with the back of her hand. "What? I didn't say that Audrey was involved."

I felt my entire body tense up again as Audrey's hand resting on my knee tightened. "What are you talking about?"

"Uh, we're going to go see if the backyard is still there," Noah said, grabbing Gwen's hand and dragging her out of the room.

"Yeah, we're going to go talk about being subtle and not a total dick," Brooke huffed, dragging Stavo out of the room by the neck of his hoodie.

Emma didn't move, but Audrey seemed to have another idea. "Em, can me and Ari talk in private?"

She blinked in surprise before standing up jerkily and leaving the room. As soon as we were by ourselves in the living room, I stood up and moved away from the loveseat where she sat. I needed to separate myself from her so I could gather my thoughts.

"What the hell was he talking about?" I asked icily, crossing my arms over my chest. "Do I need to worry about you murdering me now?"

"No, it's not like that. Will you please sit back down and let me explain?" she asked, reaching out for me and pulling away when I didn't let her touch me. "Please, Anna?"

I saw red when she used that nickname, the pet name she used when we were cuddling together in the morning. It was intimate and I'd never felt further away from her than I did right now. It was almost like a slap in the face to hear her whisper it in such a vastly different atmosphere.

"Don't call me that," I hissed, sitting on the edge of the couch instead of beside her. "I swear if you don't tell the entire truth, I am so done. You swore you'd never lie to me and that's what this feels like."

In the back of my mind, I knew I should be scared or at least a little skeptical of her now. Unfortunately, my one track mind made that impossible. I was so irate I felt like I was vibrating with it. We'd already talked about lying and keeping things from each other. I honestly felt like she'd lied straight to my face when she told me she'd always be truthful with me.

"I'm not lying, I just didn't think telling you about how I brought one of the Lakewood murderers here because I was lonely and pissed off," she shouted, her own temper flaring in the volatile situation. "I didn't kill anyone, I just didn't make the best choices and put my friends in danger. Stavo's just an ass and who enjoys ruining my life as some twisted form of karma."

"What does that even mean? How do you bring a murderer to Lakewood because you're lonely?" I asked, trying desperately to put the pieces together. "None of this makes any sense!"

She sighed and said, "Emma and I were best friends when we were kids and then she got popular and stopped being my friend. I was in love with her and broke my heart when she left so I lashed out. Piper Shaw was Brandon James, Lakewood's urban legend, half sister and I knew she'd understand how I felt about being an outsider so I wrote to her. I never thought she'd be psychopathic and hell bent on killing the entire town."

It felt like the room was spinning, even with me sitting down. I needed to get out of here and back home, and I seriously needed some distance from Audrey. It felt like there was no air in the room, like my lungs were working overtime to keep me conscious. I didn't trust her at all right now, she made some seriously sadistic decisions that effected everyone around her.

"You said you girlfriend died. Did Piper kill her?" I asked, my voice quiet as I weighed every word before it left my mouth.

When she didn't answer, I shoved up from the couch and stormed out of the house. I was so stupid to flirt with a girl I didn't know and go out with her when I knew how dangerous the town was. I was terrible at choosing partners, Delia was a good example, and apparently so was Audrey. I couldn't pick girls who didn't lie and keep secrets, apparently it wasn't in the cards for Arianna Eleanor Harvey, nope.

I left the house and started walking with a purpose back the way we'd came after I slammed the door behind me. A few seconds later, I heard boots thumping against the pavement as Audrey chased after me, but I didn't slow down. I pulled out my phone and typed in my address, following the directions without acknowledging Audrey's presence. Just because I didn't know how to get home didn't mean I wouldn't figure it out, I could be stubborn if I wanted to be.

"You can't just run away from this," she said, catching up to me as I stomped down the sidewalk. "I'm serious, Ari, you have to see me at work tomorrow."

I turned around and threw my arms out in exasperation. "What do you want me to say, Audrey? You kept the world's biggest secret from me and just expect me to instantly be okay with it when I found out. Well, news flash, that's not how things work. Especially with girls who have as much baggage as I do. I don't do well with secrets and I don't do well with lies, and right now that's all I see when I look at you. All I see is a liar and I can't deal with that right now. I need some time to figure all this out."

She looked so sad, but I couldn't give in on this. "I understand. At least let me give you a ride home. Please?"

I thought it over and knew it was stupid to walk home alone at night in a new place that had a history of murder involving teenage girls. "Okay."


	13. Chapter 13

**Hi, this is a continuation of the last chapter.**

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I'd barely made it upstairs to my room when my anger dissolved into tears. I knew it would happen and was grateful I wasn't with Audrey when it did, I always cried whenever I was really angry. I also cried whenever my heart was broken, but whatever. I pressed my face against my pillow to stay as quiet as possible as I bawled my eyes out. My anger, frustration, and sadness was all twisting together and bringing back all the feelings I'd experienced over Delia that I hadn't exactly dealt with.

Delia and I met in art my sophomore year, like I said before, but I never really went into detail. I'd came out freshmen year so most people knew I was gay. Delia, however, seemed straight and I would've kept thinking that if she didn't flirt with me the first day of class. Thinking back on the situation now, I should have realized she was just messing around. Unfortunately, I was young and naïve and she was really pretty.

It was common knowledge around our school that I was gay, but it was also New York so that wasn't uncommon. Delia, however, seemed to take an interest in me because of it. Thinking back on it now, I should've known she was just experimenting, but I was too blinded by how pretty she was to see it.

She and I started spending most of our free time together and I fell really fast for her. A couple weeks after we slept together for the first time, I saw texts from random guys popping up on the screen of her phone that she immediately hid from me. I knew girls could be bi as much as they could be lesbians, so I instantly started freaking out. Delia was my first serious girlfriend, but I knew the warning signs of cheating and mysterious texts from guys was definitely one of them.

The two of us were working in the art lab on our final projects when I confronted her about the texts. She didn't get upset or embarrassed, she just looked at me with pity in her eyes. She then explained that I was just something she wanted to try, nothing serious, and she'd decided she actually liked only boys. She'd thought I was experimenting too and didn't think she needed to voice anything, which was a complete lie.

I held myself together until I got home from school and broke down the second I walked into our house. My mom found me in the floor of our entryway sobbing and hyperventilating simultaneously. After that I didn't eat much or talk at all, I passed my classes by the bare minimum and was grateful for the fresh start. Then, enter stage left, Audrey Jensen with all of her broody stares and pretty smiles –I was a sucker from the start. I'd already stated I loved girls with black hair and light eyes, aka, Audrey freakin' Jensen.

Not to mention how scary it was to hear she'd brought a psycho killer to Lakewood because she was heartbroken. That wasn't how people were supposed to deal with that, my heart was broken and I didn't do anything nearly that destructive. I took some anti-depressants and dealt with everything…mostly. I still had some leftover stuff to work through, but I was nowhere near that level.

"Sweetheart, what's wrong?" mom asked, coming into my room a little while later and seeing the makeup smeared across my pillow from my meltdown. "Did something happen with Audrey?"

"Why do I always pick girls that are bad for me? What's wrong with me?" I asked, allowing her to get in bed with me before curling up to her. "I thought she was different, but she kept secrets after she said she wouldn't and she lied to my face."

"Baby girl, I'm so sorry your heart keeps getting broken," she soothed, brushing my hair out of my face. "You go around thinking everyone has the same heart you do and that's not true. Yours is big and full and you wear it on your sleeve. Other people conceal how they feel, they don't want anyone knowing they're vulnerable."

I didn't say anything because I knew she was right. I'd always had a big heart and expected everyone to love as hard as me. Her secret was big and hard to tell me this early in our relationship and I get that, but she still could've said something. I thought we were getting close enough to share everything. Maybe I was still the naïve girl I was last year…

 **Audrey's Point of View:**

I drove away from Ari's driveway and parked in front of some empty house, slamming my hands against my steering wheel in frustration. She was supposed to be my fresh start, the thing that made everything okay for once. My eyes were burning and I knew I was going to cry. I was so frustrated and disappointed and angry there was no other option.

I was so close to giving in when my phone rang. I ripped it from my pocket in hopes of it being Ari inviting me over to talk, but it was just Emma. I took a deep breath and answered it, hoping my voice didn't give me away.

"Hey, where are you? Is Ari okay?" she asked in a rush. "We heard screaming and then the door slammed."

"I'm about a mile away from Ari's in my car," I replied, my voice thicker than I wanted. "Uh, I think we might have just broken up? I don't know."

"Come back to my place. Brooke and Stavo are gone," she insistd. "It's just me, Noah, and Gwen."

There was no way I could get out of this so I hung up and drove back to Emma's. I went inside and sat on the couch, staring harshly at the wall to keep my tears at bay. I never cried, I wasn't going to start now. I had a moment of weakness in my car, but it was iced over now.

"What happened?" Noah finally asked, breaking the silence engulfing the room.

I sighed and tilted my head back, looking at the ceiling when I finally started talking. "Ari was with a girl who decided she wasn't gay after Ari fell in love with her. She has big trust issues and I'm pretty sure I'd just convinced her she could trust me. Then Stavo opened his mouth and ruined everything, she told me she wanted space."

"Oh, Audrey," Emma said, wrapping her arm around my shoulder. "Do you want me to talk to her?"

"Maybe that's not the best idea..." Gwen spoke up, making me look back down at her. "I may have told her Audrey used to be in love with Emma… Sorry! You all know I babble under pressure!"

"That's why she was so weird when I hugged her," Emma exclaimed. "Oh god, that's not good."

"This entire situation isn't good!" I shouted, running my fingers through my hair jerkily. "How do I fix this?"

"Space may not be a bad idea, honestly," Noah said, being the voice of reason for the first time in his life. "Letting you both think isn't necessarily bad."

Without my full permission, a felt a tear escape and I wiped it away angrily. Emma hugged me and I felt the rest of them come out, resulting in me crying into her shoulder. I hated being weak ever, especially over a girl I'd only known a month, but here I was.

"I don't think I've ever seen you cry over a girl," Noah told me, coming over and squeezing my shoulder comfortingly. "You've been there for me when I have, multiple times, so it's my duty to be here."

I laughed sadly and put my hand on his after I leaned back from Emma's shoulder, still crying. Gwen was perched on Noah's knee with her hand resting on my leg. They were the best friends I could have ever had in my entire life, I knew that.

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 **Thanks for reading!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Hi, I freakin' love Ari and Audrey together. I think they're the cutest! I hope y'all think so, too!**

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 **Ari's point of view**

I thought about calling in to work the next morning but realized that was ridiculous. My eyes were burning when I woke up and my mouth was so dry my tongue felt like sandpaper. I forced myself to get up and pull myself together, hiding all the proof that I had a breakdown last night with makeup. As I was doing my hair, I had the sudden epiphany that it was too boring. I wanted to do something drastic and that meant changing my hair somehow because I was too young to get a piercing or a tattoo by myself, but I could buy hair dye.

I didn't have to be at work until two this afternoon, giving me more than enough time to run to the drug store. I pulled on a pair of sandals and ran downstairs, grabbing an apple before getting in my car. I drove to the nearest city and found a Sally's, grabbing a box of pastel pink hair dye. I was about to do something drastic and a surge of excitement coursed through me.

When I got back home, I found Freddie sitting at the bar in our kitchen and mom painting the walls. I said hi to both of them before running upstairs to my room. I changed into an old t-shirt and went into my bathroom, reading the instructions on the box. I applied the dye as it said and went to my room to wait it out, killing time before I had to wash it out.

The alarm I set on my phone went off and I hurried back into the bathroom. I got in the shower and watched the pink go down the drain as I washed it. When the water finally ran clear, I washed my body and got back out. I pulled on my work shirt before going to dry it; the color was so freakin' pretty! I loved it and was so happy I did it!

I did my full makeup and curled my hair, giggling every time I saw the color. I was never this person, I never made spontaneous decisions; I always thought everything out. It felt really nice to not have to worry over it, just jump in and hope I float. It was also a really good distraction.

My mom did a double take when I walked downstairs. "Oh, that color looks good. It's not the one you had last night, but it's a good look. Are you feeling any better?"

I shrugged my shoulders and said, "I didn't want to be blond anymore, I wanted to be something different. And I haven't really thought about the situation since I dyed my hair, and I don't really want to right now. I'll deal with it when I get to work and she's there."

She hugged me and wished me luck before sending me out into the world. My mother was always so cool about stuff like this, she never made it a big deal. The hair dye was permanent, but that didn't mean it would be this color forever. I knew kids in school who had a different hair color every week, it faded and your natural hair made a reappearance. This would hopefully last as long as I felt the way I did and then fade when I was over it.

I sat in the parking lot staring at her car for almost five full minutes, trying to force myself to go inside. When I realized I was going to be late if I didn't leave now, I got out and marched into the building. I wasn't my usually bubbly self, I kept my head down and did what I was supposed it. I was on snack bar today so I filled popcorn, handed out candy, and made drinks robotically. It was crazy that just seeing her car made my mood shift so drastically, but I guess it made things real again.

Maybe I'd jumped to conclusions last night, I didn't even really give her time to explain things. My feelings were hurt that she'd lied to me and I closed myself off immediately. Then again, she did promise to never lie to me or hurt me like Delia did. I was so in my head, I didn't even notice her come in and let Mandi take her break.

"Hi," she said, and I could feel her eyes on me. "I really like your hair."

I reached up and touched it self-consciously. "Oh, thanks. I did it this morning before work."

We went back to our jobs without talking and it was suffocating. I felt like I couldn't get enough air, but I refused to have a panic attack in the middle of shoveling popcorn. I needed to get ahold of myself, this was getting ridiculous. I glanced at the clock on the wall and saw my break was in fifteen minutes, I could hold myself together until five o'clock.

"Hey, when's your break?" I asked Audrey during a lull in customers. "I want to talk to you about last night."

"It's a five, we have the same shift today," she replied, her voice devoid of all emotions.

Audrey didn't like emotions, she was trying her best to completely ignore anything she was feeling. I knew how she was, but it still made my stomach fall to my knees. It felt like she wasn't even going to fight for our relationship, she was just going to let me break it off. I knew it was selfish, but I wanted her to fight for me.

"You could at least act like you're hurt, you know?" I whispered to her as I loaded a large popcorn container. "I'm not doing this for kicks, my heart is actually pretty fucking broken right now and you don't even seem to care."

She blew a breath through her nose before flashing her eyes over to me. "Are you serious? You walk away from me and then tell me I'm not feeling the way I should. You broke your own heart, Ari, and then refused to let me fix it."

We were still talking in hushed whispers, but it felt like she was yelling. "Don't make it seem like this is my fault! You're the one who messed up."

"Ladies, maybe you should take your break now," Rob said, coming behind the counter to the two of us. "Preferably outside where customers can't hear you."

"Gladly," Audrey spat, tearing off her apron and stalking away from the snack bar.

I took a deep breath and took off my apron, handing it to the girl relieving me and headed out to my car. Audrey was already leaning against the side of it, waiting for me. I unlocked the doors and the two of us got in, neither of us wanting to break the silence.

"Are you serious? You couldn't stop yelling at me inside, but you don't have a word to say now? That's great, wonderful really," I told her, a snarky laugh leaving my lips as I glared out the windshield.

"What do you want me to say, Ari? It seems like you've already made up your mind about me," she replied, tossing her hands in the air. "I really like you and want to be with you, but you never let me explain myself."

"I'm right here with thirty minutes free," I told her, turning my body until it was facing hers with my arms crossed over my chest.

"I told you I was lonely, but it was so much more than that. Emma and I were best friends for our entire lives, she was who helped me get through my mother dying and my dad's meltdown after it happened. Then, out of the blue, she started dating Will Belmont, a popular guy who played basketball. She became friends with all his friends who hated me, so even when she invited me to hang out with them I said no," she explained, her eyes never leaving mine. "Then the murders started happening as soon Piper came to town, but I didn't make the connection because I didn't want to. I ended up reconnecting with Emma and brought Noah along, things started to feel like they used to. Then Rachel died and I felt alone again.

"If it wasn't for Emma and Noah, I don't know what would have happened. Then Will died and Emma felt the way I did, but we had each other to lean on," she continued. "I swear I didn't know Piper was the one killing everyone, if I would have known, I would've done something."

That was a lot to take in, but it all made sense. She was heartbreakingly lonely and I knew what that felt like. Even if I had my mom and Freddie, I felt totally by myself after Delia and I broke up. I was starting to see things like she did and guilt settled on my chest.

"I'm sorry I didn't let you explain yourself," I told her lamely. "I'm just afraid of getting hurt again so I'm really fast to jump the gun in relationships and end them. Sort of like breaking their heart before they can break mine, even if that's demented."

Her hand found mine and she brought it up to her lips, pressing a kiss to the top of it reassuringly. "I'm not done, I haven't told you the worst part yet. I hope you're still as understanding and forgiving."

I nodded and held her hand tighter, hopefully reassuring her that I was going to be here. I also hoped I was still going to be here after what she said. I really liked her, too, and didn't want to break up. No matter what I told her in the heat of the moment last night.

"Piper tried to kill Emma and I was there and ended up shooting her," she told me. "We thought everything was going to go back to normal after that, but the killings kept happening. We had another friend named Jake, he was Brooke's boyfriend, and he was killed. The person who did it lured me into a storage container where I found his body with different screenshots of the texts I'd sent to Piper pinned to him.

"I freaked and started taking the screenshots off, hoping no one else had seen them because I was still trying so hard to keep everything a secret. I should've known there'd be a camera or something like that in the building, but I didn't until the killer sent me a GIF of me taking them," she said. "So, I ended up telling Noah what I'd done and everyone found out. For a while it was terrible and they all hated me, but eventually things worked out and we found out the other killer was actually Emma's boyfriend."

My heart hurt for her, she really was just continuously in the wrong place at the wrong time. I released her hand and levered my seat back as far as it would go before gesturing to her to come over. She crossed the console with only minor awkwardness and placed herself on my lap so I could wrap my arms around her middle. One of her hands held the side of my neck with her thumb rubbing over the base of my jaw affectionately.

"I'm so sorry," I whispered, leaning forward and pressing my forehead against hers. "I am so sorry."

She shook her head and I saw her eyes slide closed, her breathing slowed and she hummed in happiness. "It's not your fault, I did lie to you. I swear I didn't do it to hurt you, I just didn't know how to tell you all of that without scaring you away."

"I get that, but I want you to know you can tell me anything," I replied, leaning forward and brushing my nose against hers affectionately. "I'm not going anywhere as long as you're honest with me. You'd be amazed at what I can handle."

To prove my point, I moved my arms from around her waist so my hands could squeeze her ass. She let out a surprised squeak that made me laugh, my head falling back against the car seat.

"You are so damn cute," I sighed, looking at her happily. "Even if you think it's going to hurt me, I want you to tell me the truth and I promise to do the same."

She didn't say anything, she just nodded her head before tilting it and pressing her lips to mine. It was a small kiss, nothing serious or intense, just sweet and content.

The weight on my chest lifted as her fingers delicately traced the lines on my face. We still had about fifteen minutes, and we were going to spend it exactly like this.


	15. Chapter 15

**This chapter has some minor content, but nothing too major. Also, there's only one more chapter after this.**

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 **Ari's Point of View**

Summer was winding to an end and senior year was quickly approaching. Even if I already had friends, I really didn't want to start a new school. Audrey reassured me things were going to be fine multiple times, but my stomach was still in knots. We were laying in my bed together the night before school started, my head on her chest as I babbled on about how nervous I was and she rubbed my back.

"I've never been the new girl, but it looks awful in movies," I whined, twisting the fabric of her shirt in my hands absentmindedly.

She lifted me off her for a second and reached for her backpack resting on my floor. When she came back up, she had a camera in her hands and a happy smile on her face. What was she doing?

"I don't like those movies, let's make a new one," she told me, pointing the camera at my face. "In a world where a beautiful new girl and her broody girlfriend are going to be seniors, it's time to make George Washington High our bitch."

I was laughing so hard my eyes started watering as I laid flat on my back. "You are such a dork! Oh, my god."

She sat astride my hips and held the camera so it was focused on me again. "So, Ari, what are your plans for tomorrow? How are you going to combat all the cliché new girl and obscure horror movie references I'm sure Noah's going to make?"

"Mhm, I kind of figured my beautiful girlfriend would help," I replied, taking the camera from her and shifting around until she was in shot. "How does it feel to be dating the most beautiful, most amazing girl in the entire tristate area?"

She was so freaking beautiful when she smiled, it made my heart beat faster every single time. Before she could answer my question, I laid the camera on my nightstand and pulled her mouth down to mine. She hummed happily, focusing all her attention on me as I ran my tongue over the seam of her lips. She parted them and sucked my bottom lip into her mouth, making me grip her hip tighter.

We'd been kissing for a while when she sat back up on my hips and pulled her shirt off. I sat up with her and tossed mine to the floor too before pulling her back down to me. Our kisses were different, they felt deeper and more intimate than usual. I had my hands resting on her back when she reached behind her and took one, her mouth leaving scorching kisses along my throat, and slid it up so I was touching the clasp of her bra.

I stopped her, moving her face up so she was looking at me before I spoke. "Hey, this is fine. You don't have to do anything you don't want to for me."

She rolled her eyes and unclasped her bra herself, tossing it to the ground with her t-shirt. I bit the side of my lip as I looked at her for the first time without a bra in the way. She was so perfect, I couldn't decide where I wanted to touch first so I just stared. She must've felt uncomfortable because she brought her arms up to cover herself, but that was the last thing I wanted. I took her wrists in my hands and rolled her underneath me, lowering myself down so I could kiss just under her ear.

"You are so beautiful," I breathed, barely loud enough for her to hear. "Jesus, I can't deal with how gorgeous you are."

I could feel the heat coming off her face against my shoulder from my praises. I sat astride her hips this time and pulled my bralette over my head so I was just as naked as she was. Her eyes widened and she rested her hand on my waist, her thumb moving over my hipbone.

I'm not a very confident person, but I'd never felt better about myself than in this moment. She was looking at me like I was precious and it made warmth build in my stomach. I didn't shrink away from her gaze, instead I took her hand resting on the bed and brought it up to cup one of my breasts.

"Looking's nice, but touching's better," I told her, leaning down to kiss her neck. "Do anything you want, baby girl."

She let out a moan I'd never heard her make before, a shiver coursed through my body. I started kissing her neck and working my way down. I'd just passed her collarbone when her hands got braver than just squeezing and a hushed gasp left my lips paused their exploration.

"This is at your pace, okay? We're doing this how you want," I promised her, moving back up with my face hovering above hers. "What do you want, baby?"

Instead of answering me, she took a deep breath and moved her hand down into my shorts and past panties.

* * *

 **Audrey's Point of View**

Ari and I were lying in her bed, just looking at each other. Ari's face was resting on her hands and her eyes looked heavy, but she kept struggling to keep them open. God, I don't know who decided I should get a girl like her, but I was so thankful for them.

"Mhm, I'm sleepy," she said in a quiet voice. "Are you staying with me?"

"Of course, princess," I replied, opening my arms and pulling her closer. "You are always so cold. How do you survive?"

"By stealing all your warmth," she giggled, pressing her icy feet to my calves and her hands to my stomach. "You are so warm. I love it!"

I just laughed and brushed her hair over her shoulder so I could press a kiss to it. A flashing red light in the otherwise dark room caught my eye. My camera was still sitting on her nightstand and it was recording, pointing straight at the two of us.

"Shit," I swore, reaching over Ari to grab the camera and shut it off. When she looked at me with curious eyes, I smiled nervously and said, "We might have just made a sex tape"

"Are you serious?" she asked, rolling over so she could see the footage that was recorded. "Wow, how artsy."

"I am so sorry! I didn't mean for that to happen!" I swore, sitting the camera on the bed and turning to look at her. "I swear I didn't mean to violate your privacy during something that intimate."

She sat up in front of me and covered my mouth with her hand. "Hush, it's not a big deal as long as it's for your eyes only. I mean, everyone wants to remember their first time, right?"

As sexy as that was, I couldn't help but think back to when Emma and Will had a similar video leaked. "I guess I'm freaked because when all the murders started, a video of Emma and Will having sex for the first time was leaked to the entire high school. I really don't want that to happen again, even if the murders are over."

Her face was serene as she moved onto my lap, the two of us still very naked. "Hey, everything's going to be okay, I promise. No one's going to leak the video and it's mostly blurry anyway so you can't see anything interesting."

I was about to start another long winded, nervous rant when she reached up and brushed my fringe back out of my face. Everything inside of me fluttered at the action, making my words die on my tongue. She was looking at me with so much trust and adoration, there wasn't a doubt in her mind that I'd keep the video to myself. This was a big moment for her, I realized, she was finally trusting me completely.

"Okay," I told her finally, letting out a breath of relief. "You're right, it's going to be fine."

"I have one request about the video though," she said, an evil smirk tugging at her lips. Then she leaned forward to whisper in my ear, "You have to Facetime me when you watch it."

"So fucking dirty," I murmured, gripping her hips so I could move us back to the center of the bed. "I can't believe I ever thought you were innocent."

She laughed and hooked her leg over my hip, sliding her foot down my thigh. The smile on her lips was pure sin and I couldn't believe this was happening. I never thought I would find someone who wanted me, all my baggage included. Yet here I was with the most amazing person I've ever met, giggling about an accidental sex tape and rolling back on her bed and pulling me with her.

It was exactly where I needed to be.

* * *

 **Peace out 'til the next chapter.**


	16. Chapter 16

**This is the last chapter! Thanks for reading, y'all.**

* * *

 **Ari's Point of View**

Thankfully, Audrey and I sort of got redressed last night because my mother came bursting into my room the next morning. She yanked open my curtains and whirled around to find me wrapped around my girlfriend and still asleep. I groaned as the sun fried my eyelids and heard Audrey echo it.

"You almost got away with what you did last night," mom said, making me squint my eyes in confusion.

"It's too early for riddles," I told her, sitting up and rubbing my eyes as Audrey reached for her glasses on the nightstand.

"You may have put your shirts back on, but there are panties hanging from the knob on your dresser," she winked before leaving the room to wake up Freddie.

I looked over and saw that she was right, Audrey's boyshorts were hanging from the knob on my dresser. I dissolved into a fit of giggles as she stomped over to get them before going into my bathroom with her bag. I heard the shower turn on and snuck in to the room with her, shedding my shirt and climbing in behind her. I wrapped my arms around her middle and kissed her shoulder before switching her spots and getting my hair wet.

"So, are you still nervous about today?" she asked as she scrubbed shampoo into her hair.

"Not really, not anymore," I replied, smiling sappily at her. "Last night was very helpful at de-stressing me out."

She smirked and switched me spots again, washing the shampoo out of her hair. "I'm glad I could be of assistance, princess."

"Mhm, princess, I like that," I grinned, taking my turn to wash the shampoo out of my hair and replace it with conditioner that Audrey skipped.

I walked forward and wrapped my arms around her shoulders and felt hers wrap around my waist. I tilted my head a bit so I could kiss her and heard her let out a puff of air. We messed around a little bit longer before she helped me rinse the conditioner out and we got out to get ready.

I was putting on mascara when she came up behind me in the mirror and wrapped her arms around me. I leaned back against her happily as I switched eyes, trying to not get distracted as she kissed my neck. I scolded her when I felt her teeth scrape over my skin.

"I am wearing a shirt with no neck, Audrey Jensen! Do not leave any hickeys!"

"That's just your job, right?" she asked, turning her head and pointing to the spot I'd left behind her ear last night. "Too late for that, princess."

I felt my eyebrows knit together so she took the top part of my top and pulled it down, revealing a line of hickeys both between and on my boobs. I huffed and pulled my shirt back in place, now I had to make sure it didn't slip any lower or my reputation wouldn't be very savory. She stayed behind me as I sprayed setting spray on my face, hiding her face in my hair to avoid getting sprayed.

Mom made breakfast, another surprise, and we ate together without it being awkward at all. I was surprised Freddie didn't make a joke about Audrey staying the night, but he didn't say a single thing and I wondered if mom had already threatened him.

"You're going to take your brother to school, right?" mom asked, but I knew it wasn't really a question.

"I mean we're going to the same school…" I replied, hugging her before taking Audrey's hand and heading out of the house.

"Bye, Candace! Thanks for breakfast!" she shouted over her shoulder.

"Figured you girls worked up an appetite last night," she winked and I groaned dramatically. "What? Would you rather I say she can't spend the night ever again and you have to refrain from any sexual contact until you're forty?"

"Bye, mom, I love you!" I replied, dragging Audrey out of the house this time. "Jesus, she's so chill with stuff it's scary sometimes."

"I like that she's so okay with who you are. I wish my dad was like that," she said as we parted ways for her to get in the passenger seat of my car.

I frowned and laid my hand on her leg as I drove toward the high school. She twisted the ring on had on my finger awkwardly, afraid to say anything too intimate with my brother in the backseat. I told him to put in headphones and he reluctantly agreed, listening to music instead of our conversation.

"What's up?" I asked, looking at her when we stopped at a red light. "You're particularly broody all of a sudden."

"I'm just nervous for my dad to find out we did what we did last night," she replied, chewing her lip.

"I thought he knew you were gay and I was your girlfriend?" I asked.

"He does, but that is a whole other thing than us having sex," she replied. "Not that he'll find out, I'm just nervous about if he does."

"I'm sorry you feel like that, but I'm here if something bad happens," I reassured her as I pulled into the school parking lot. "You're not by yourself, if that helps."

We parked and Freddie immediately got out, heading inside and leaving us alone. I undid my seatbelt and turned to look at her fully. She was tearing her lip to pieces as she nervously chewed on it so I reached out and moved it from between her teeth with my thumb.

 **Audrey's Point of View**

I hated that the only thing I could think about this morning was my dad. He wasn't verbal about it, but I knew he wasn't a fan of me being with a girl. I'd put him through a lot lately and was kind of afraid one more thing would be his breaking point. Not that I was afraid of him or anything, I just didn't want to disappoint him anymore than I already have.

"This isn't your problem, Ari. I'm sorry I unloaded it on you," I told her, reaching to get out of the car only for her to lock the doors.

"Excuse me? This involves me because I care about you and want you to always be happy," she argued, her eyes flaming. "You are not allowed to do this, you can't pull away after what happened last night. God, please don't do that."

Her expression went from angry to scared in two seconds flat. Dammit, I could never say the right thing with her apparently. Last night was a big thing for her too, she finally decided to trust me completely. I was on a very slippery slope right now, the next things I said determined if I got to keep that trust.

"I swear this isn't me changing my mind, princess," I told her, turning back around to face her and taking both her hands in mine. "If anything I want you even more now. I'm sorry, I'm just freaking out a little bit."

"I get that, but don't bottle it up. Talk to me about it, baby girl," she told me evenly.

"I will, I swear," I told her, realizing she was right.

She unlocked the doors and grabbed her backpack from the backseat, her hand finding mine as we walked inside. I could feel her palm sweating against mine and knew she was still nervous. After she checked in and found her locker, I kissed the side of her head and saw her shoulders lose some of their tension.

"Ari!" Gwen shrieked from down the hallway, rushing over to Ari and leaving Noah to trail behind her.

Noah stopped in front of me while Ari and Gwen talked about the first period class they shared. "Welcome to the club of ignored significant others. I'm Noah, I've been a member for almost a year."

"Shut up, doof," Gwen said without looking away from Ari.

Ari didn't say anything, but she did lean back leaned into my side as she talked to Gwen. I made a face at Noah and he glared back, kissing the back of Gwen's head. The two of them quickly included us in their conversation and that was how Emma found us a little later.

"I'm so the seventh wheel now," she remarked when she looked from Stavo and Brooke to the rest of us.

She was smiling so I knew she wasn't mad, but I also saw that she was a little jealous. That wasn't too crazy, she did find out her boyfriend was a psycho killer. That had to do some major damage to a person.

The bell rang a little after that and Ari turned to kiss the side of my mouth before she was dragged off by Gwen down the hall. Noah and I went to our shared history class, walking together like usual. I could tell he wanted to say something, but he had no idea how I would react.

"Spit it out," I told him, giving him a pointed look.

"I just haven't seen you this happy since Rachel," he told me carefully. "I like you happy."

I rolled my eyes, but I knew he was right. I'd been a little reluctant to admit it, but I was happy again. Other than my minor meltdown in Ari's car, I was stress free. It was a new feeling, I was almost always worried about something or someone.

"She makes me happy," I finally said after we sat down.

* * *

 **Thanks a bunch!**


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